


Saving Regina

by ABSedarian



Series: Black Unicorn [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Princess Emma, Regina is a unicorn by day, Sequel, Sharing a Bed, Unicorn Regina, mutual and oblivious pining, mythical creatures AU, slow burn i guess, third story in the Black Unicorn verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-02-26 09:22:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 43,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13232781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ABSedarian/pseuds/ABSedarian
Summary: Now that she knows about the curse on Regina, Princess Emma is going to do everything she possibly can to save the former Evil Queen. The question is: what will she have to do? And is it going to work?





	1. The Queen under the mountain

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Not my characters.
> 
> A/N: Some of you have been asking about another sequel to the Black Unicorn story, and inspiration struck. This will probably have two or three (short) parts.
> 
> The chapter title will make sense at the end of this chapter. ;-)

Emma turned her face into the pillow, eager for a few more minutes of sleep that the sun didn’t seem to want to let her enjoy. Only slowly did her mind register the fact that this couldn’t be her bed since her fondness for sleeping in had made her put her bed in the farthest corner of her room in the tower, hidden behind heavy curtains. She sat up abruptly as awareness returned suddenly and with it the memories of the day before.

“Regina?” Emma turned to look around the loft but she was alone. _Of course._ She wanted to smack her forehead. If the sun was out, Regina had already transformed and was probably running around the forest, wondering what to do about the princess in her bed.

Emma felt her cheeks fill with color as the thought of being in Regina’s bed _with_ Regina flooded her mind with images of things she hadn’t really ever thought about, at least not with a woman. _Sorry, Mother_ , she thought with a small grin, _maybe you should have tried to set me up with a princess. Or a queen._

The grin vanished when Emma remembered the task before her. Trying to find Regina’s true love so she could be freed from this curse or, barring that, find another way to save her. 

So, how did one go about finding someone’s true love? Especially if you could feel your own heart hurting at the thought. All of the people she would normally have asked for advice were in the castle or hunting Regina now, so she couldn’t expect any help there. Besides, she figured if she went back to the castle now, her mother might very well never let her out of her sight again. 

Her fairy godmother then? Emma sighed. No, not after what she now knew about the Blue Fairy and her involvement in Regina’s predicament. There had to be someone else. Emma racked her brain. _Fairies, fairies, fairies, fair—_

With a start, Emma jumped up and promptly fell off the small ledge next to the bed and down onto the main floor of the cabin. But even the pain shooting up her spine from the way she landed on her butt couldn’t dim the hope she had felt at remembering a story the women in the kitchen used to whisper about.

There had been a fairy that had been exiled for doing something to help … Emma tried to remember what the fairy had done. _What was it the cooks and kitchen helpers had said?_ _Right, the fairy had tried to help someone find their happiness or something …_ As a child Emma had thought it was a very romantic story, she remembered that now, and she also remembered telling her mother all about it one day at bedtime, happy to share a story about love with someone who always told her about her own true love. 

She’d never heard the story again after that night, not openly, not even in hushed whispers around the hearth, and when she had asked somebody to tell it once more, all she had gotten were wary glances and dark looks.

Now all she had to do was _believe_ that story was true — and find that fairy.

Somehow. Some _where_.

If only she had the faintest idea where to start … Curse her mother for making the castle workers too afraid to tell her the story! It wasn’t like she could go back and ask them now … Unless, of course, as a last resort, Emma vowed. She could sneak back if she had to, she was sure. It was possible her absence hadn’t been noticed yet — or not taken too seriously. It wasn’t the first time she had taken off, after all, and her parents knew that, but Emma knew her disappearance the morning after her mother heard about her seeing Regina could at least look suspicious. She just hoped she’d been convincing enough about seeing the black horse far, far way from where she’d actually seen Regina.

 

o—o—o

 

Snow White stormed into the council room, not sparing a glance for the guards who opened the doors for her and had to scramble out of the way of their furious queen.

Prince Charming looked up at the sudden entrance and one look at his wife’s face caused a sense of foreboding. “What’s going on?”

“Your wayward daughter is not in the castle,” Snow replied curtly.

David sighed. Emma hadn’t shown up for breakfast, which caused Snow’s irritation — already on the rise since Emma had let on that she’d seen the black unicorn, thus reminding them all that Regina was still alive — to come to a boil. 

“Maybe she left early for a ride,” he ventured. “You know—“

“Her horse is gone,” Snow continued as if her husband hadn’t spoken. “The stable boy said he didn’t see it at all today which means she left very early or …”

“Or last night,” David finished. He wasn’t sure why Snow was so worked up. Emma left the castle all the time, no matter how unseemly it was for a princess. “Well, you know she doesn’t like to be cooped up all the time.”

“No need to sound proud of her,” Snow muttered. “Insolent child.”

“She’s not a child anymore, Snow,” Charming reminded her softly. “Maybe she rode out to meet a suitor?”

Snow snorted. “You don’t believe that any more than I do,” she replied. “Although she _would_ do that to us … run off with some peasant after showing the cold shoulder to all the princes I invited to court her.”

“She’s made it clear she doesn't want to marry for better trade routes or any other kind of politics, and frankly, I can’t find anything wrong with that. So if she found love with someone, peasant or not, I hope that she finds the same kind of happiness we did.” Charming’s patience was beginning to run a little thin. “And _you_ married a shepherd.” 

“That’s different,” Snow tried to placate him. “We have true love.”

“And you don’t think Emma can find true love with anyone but a prince of your choice?” Acid was beginning to creep into Charming’s tone but his wife didn’t seem to notice or care.

“We have to think of the kingdom! If Emma refuses to be the princess the White Kingdom needs, if _she_ doesn’t want to rule, she needs to marry someone who can.” Snow started to pace, before turning to face the guards. “Send out a group of guards and trackers to find and bring back the princess. And should she really be with _some peasant_ … bring him back as well.” Dead or alive, her tone implied. The guards merely nodded and left to do the queen’s bidding.

David silently shook his head against the sudden hollow feeling in his chest. When had they become _this_? When had they changed so much from the people they once were? Was it when they decided to use the imp and then betray him? Or was that decision already a result of slowly darkening hearts?

One thing became very clear to Charming: something needed to be done, if they weren’t all going to end up very, very unhappy, especially his daughter. And while he was ready to sacrifice his own happiness — which he couldn’t really remember feeling now that he was thinking about it — he didn’t consider himself so far gone that his daughter’s happiness didn’t matter to him. 

What pained him was the thought that Snow didn’t see things quite that way.

“Do you think …” Snow interrupted his musings. “No, I wouldn’t know how she could … no, it’s not possible.”

“What is?”

Snow shook her head, a frown marring her still beautiful face. “I just had the crazy thought that Emma knows more than she let on about the unicorn and that she may have got it into her stubborn head to … I don’t know … _save_ her or something … but that can’t be true.”

“How could she?” David rested his hands on his wife’s shoulders. “The Evil Queen is long forgotten, Snow, as is the fact that you turned her into that unicorn as punishment. Until last night, nobody has even thought about her in years. To be honest, I was convinced she was long dead.” And then David wondered if this was an opportunity to turn this around. “You know what I think? I think Emma just did see a black horse in the distance and some shadow or a tree branch made her think of a unicorn. You know how she is.”

“Yes, you’re right, I’m probably just worried about nothing,” Snow agreed hesitantly but neither her face nor her voice were even remotely convincing. “I still think we need to make sure.”

 

o—o—o

 

After breakfast — which had been left for her on the table by Regina, she assumed — Emma left the cabin to take a look around in the bright of day for the first time. She walked around the cabin to find the meager stable where Galanthus greeted her with a friendly head butt, and Emma took some time to brush him and talk to him about her plans, although he didn’t offer much help. 

He had a full sack of oats from which he was eating — Regina had apparently taken care of all her uninvited guests this morning — but she spotted some apples in a basket on a shelf. She fed two to Galanthus, her thoughts on Regina, whom she thought no less mysterious this morning, even after hearing her story last night. 

Mysterious and unbelievably fascinating. She was drawn to Regina in a way she had never been drawn to anybody else ever before, and the thought of having to leave her here in the forest to go on what she now considered her grand quest settled like a dark cloud in her soul. Maybe she should linger a bit longer, explore the forest around Regina’s cabin, make sure that her mother’s hunters couldn’t find it.

“If I stay until evening,” she told Galanthus as she brushed his neck, “I can ask her about the fairy story. Maybe she heard about it and knows where I can find her. Or start looking, at least.” She put down the brush and scratched his neck. “And even if she doesn’t know anything, I can still say goodbye. She deserves that for putting up with us and taking care of us, don’t you think?”

Galanthus whinnied, which Emma took as agreement and grinned. And if Regina would invite her to stay another night before she left, then she wouldn’t be opposed to that either. In fact, a huge part of her hoped that would happen.

She patted her horse’s neck once more before grabbing her bow and quiver from where it rested on a nearby shelf. “You can enjoy the day here, my friend,” she told the horse. “I’m going to explore these woods. I wonder how Regina managed to escape notice for so long. We’re not that far from the castle …”

Still muttering under her breath, Emma started walking off into the forest, appreciating the scenery around her the way you could only do in daylight on a sunny day. The small pond in front of the cabin, the small garden next to the water, in the center of which stood a beautiful apple tree. She imagined Regina sitting underneath the tree, then remembered that that would only be possible at night, which wouldn’t be nearly as beautiful, and the smile slid off her face. 

She headed out the way from which she thought she’s come the night before, eyes and ears open to anything that moved but all she could hear was silence. There were no birds, no small critters skittering through the underbrush, no deer, no nothing. What magic was that? Keeping a forest free of animals? Or were the animals afraid of something here? Emma couldn’t imagine that it was Regina, not the way the woman had cared for her horse and her. No, there had to be something else going on here. 

The further she got away from the cabin and the lake, the more she began to notice small sounds. She had to focus, but they were there as if coming in from a distance, as if she was getting closer to the source of the sound with every step she took.

And then suddenly, with another step — one that created a weird feeling in her body like a sudden cold wind coming in through a window in winter — she was surrounded by the sounds of the forest, loud and clear in her ear. Intrigued, Emma took a large step back. The same feeling again — and she remembered now that she’d felt it the night before as well, just before she’d caught sight of Regina and had forgotten everything else — and the sounds were much quieter, although she could still hear them.

Magic. That was the only explanation. Regina’s cabin was hidden by magic. Emma stopped. She was guessing that there was no way she should have been allowed inside the barrier, and she wondered why she hadn’t been stopped. Was the barrier breaking down? Was Regina’s protection — and there was no doubt in Emma’s mind that the magic was there to hide Regina from harm — coming to an end after so many years?

One more question to ask Regina. One more reason to stay another night.

For now, though, Emma decided to explore a little more, so she set out to walk the edge of what she now considered Regina’s property, trying to get a feel for the area. She kept walking, dipping in and out of the magic barrier, now getting quite used to the feeling. 

After about an hour, she heard a noise that stopped her in her tracks before taking a step back inside the border and hiding behind a large tree.

Voices, and quite a few of them.

There was a group of people quickly moving through the forest, eyes scanning here and there. Her mother’s best hunters and trackers, and she thought she could see Red among them. If Red was able to smell her presence, she and Regina were doomed, Emma was sure, even if she had no idea where Regina was right now. Emma crouched even lower behind her tree, seeking the extra protection of some undergrowth, and waited with bated breath, hoping Regina’s home really was hidden by magic and that she hadn’t just imagined it.

Emma could see the hunters clearly now as they came closer to her position. Their voices were muffled but she thought she heard them debate whether or not to continue as they were pointing in her direction. Then Red walked away from the group and straight for Emma’s tree. Emma held her breath, wishing she could just become invisible.

Red stopped about three feet from Emma’s position, sniffing the air, mumbling something that Emma couldn’t make out even from this close up. Emma watched as her godmother’s eyes went upwards, then left and right, her head cocked as if studying a puzzle. Then suddenly Red turned away and Emma saw Graham, her mother’s guard captain, walk closer. He must have just arrived.

“What are you doing here?” Red asked. Emma was glad that this close she could at least make out the muffled words.

“The queen is not far behind,” Graham replied. “She is getting personally involved this time. The princess disappeared from the castle last night or early this morning.”

“Damn it,” Emma hissed. She thought she’d have more time.

“She thinks Emma is out to help the Evil Queen, naive and misguided as that may be,” Graham continued.

“But she doesn’t even know anything about the Evil Queen,” Red said. 

“Not the queen then but some rather interesting mythical animal she thought she’d seen?” Graham mused. “That does sound like something the princess would do, doesn’t it?”

Red nodded. “She did seem rather intrigued by the idea of a black unicorn.” She paused. “Does Snow think Emma lied to us about where she saw it?”

“You know our queen,” Graham said so low that Emma had a hard time making out what he was saying. “Always suspicious.” He looked troubled by the thought.

Red didn’t say anything but her face spoke volumes about her agreement.

“Anyway,” Graham went on, “there’s really no way around this mountain on this side of the river.” He pointed away from Emma’s tree and to the west. “I’ve tried many, many times. I even tried climbing it once, you know …”

Emma’s yes went wide. _A mountain? What mountain? Why hadn’t there been a mountain for her?_

“Was that how you broke your legs that one time?” Red’s eyebrow rose and there was a grin on her face. “Trying to climb sheer rock with your bare hands?”

“It was there,” Graham shrugged. “I wanted to be the first.”

Red banged her hand against the barrier, and the sound was indeed that of flesh hitting rock, Emma marveled silently. _Magic was wonderful._ She watched as Red and Graham turned to walk away but then Red stopped once again. 

“I could swear I smelled Emma around here, though,” she said, and Emma had to really strain to hear it.

“Well, that just means she came upon the mountain, too, and probably turned west from here,” Graham replied. “If you ask me, she’s just sick of the castle and the restraints put upon her there.”

“And there are many days when I understand her only too well,” Red said with a small sigh. “Don’t let Snow hear you say that, though, or tell her what I just said or else.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Graham patted Red’s shoulder and continued to speak but Emma couldn’t make out the words any longer. To her relief, however, Graham pointed west and shortly after they rejoined the other hunters the whole group turned towards the river.

Emma sagged against the tree in sheer, utter relief. They were safe. at least for now. She allowed herself a moment’s peace but then her mind started to roam again, thinking about possible outcomes. Suddenly her heart started to race. 

_What if Regina had decided to roam outside of her haven today?_


	2. Into the woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Regina does some thinking and Emma runs into more people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long delay in posting this second chapter but I had to finish Mors Certa, Hora Incerta first before I could focus on this one again. Updates should come a bit more regularly (and faster) now. 
> 
> I'm not 100% happy with this chapter but I wanted to post it because it wasn't getting any better sitting around ...
> 
> Let's hope I haven't lost all of you yet! :)

Regina moved through the forest with far less than her usual care, her thoughts on her visitor just like they had been from the moment she had woken up in an unusual, warm embrace that had made getting up a lot harder than it should have been.

She had relished the scant few moments she could afford before she absolutely had to get up and leave the loft or risk being caught up there in her uniform body with no way to get down. That had only happened a few times in her long time living with this body, with the constant switching, back when the curse had still been fresh and she hadn’t yet learned to read the signals her body was sending her — or take them seriously. She had learned quickly enough that not listening to her body could lead to precarious situations and she had never forgotten those early lessons. And the thought that for just a minute there, right after waking up, she wanted nothing more than to burrow deeper into the princess’ embrace and bask in her warmth? That had her distracted and thinking about the reasons for all of it.

She still hadn’t shaken the feeling entirely, her mind occupied with possibilities and thoughts of what ifs, her feet carrying her through the forest without any conscious effort on her part, her focus on Emma and not her surroundings. After so many years with nothing much happening in her part of the forest — apart from the odd hunter or outlaw that had lost their way or an adventurer who wanted to try their hand at the mountain they saw when looking at the protective barrier — being a little distracted shouldn’t have been an issue. But this day was different and her sudden visitor and the fact that Emma had been able to simply walk through the barrier should have had her on high alert. 

Regina _knew_ that where a princess walked, no matter how sneaky she thought herself, guards would surely follow. And considering who that particular princess was, Regina should have walked out of her cabin that morning expecting the worst, or at least her life to change. 

Whether that change was for the better or would finally end her existence remained to be seen, but she should at least give herself a fighting chance by paying attention. Unfortunately, her mind kept forgetting that, and thus she found herself outside the barrier in a clearing on the far side of the lake, quite a long way from home when she heard voices coming in her direction. Voices that could either mean that Snow’s hunters were roaming the forest on the hunt for her or Emma or both, or that Robin Hood and his merry band of unwashed forest dwellers were on the prowl. 

Regina strained her ears, trying to catch some of what the voices were saying but they were either too quiet or still too far away. She wondered if she should risk getting out of the dense copse of trees she had thankfully moved to just to see what was going on, or if staying put and very, very quiet was the way to go. Suddenly she was disgusted by the curse she was caught in — more than ever before — because the Evil Queen would never have hidden in some bushes, passively waiting, being … fearful. 

Regina stopped in her thoughts. Since when was she scared? What the hell was going on with her? Why was she suddenly concerned with her own safety — and that of Emma, a voice in her mind provided — when for the past 20-odd years she’d have happily taken an arrow or a crossbow bolt and be rid of the curse and her miserable life. 

_Gods, how pathetic._ One hoof kicked the ground in disgust as Regina snorted at her own behavior. One night in the arms of another human being … of _Emma_ , and she was beginning to hope for … for what exactly? For a life after the curse? For a future? A happy ever after?

Regina shook her massive, dark head, the horn riffling the leaves on a nearby tree. One thing was clear: if she wanted to find out what the future held for her, she’d have to stay alive to make sure she _had_ a future beyond this day. 

 

o—o—o

 

Emma was torn. Heart racing in her chest, she wondered what to do. If she ventured outside the barrier to try and find Regina, she’d risk getting discovered by Red and the trackers. If she just waited around, Regina could get killed or, knowing now how her mother dealt with enemies — be caught and thrown in a dungeon, probably to be tortured or forgotten forever. 

Emma couldn’t let that happen. There was no way she would ever be able to forgive herself if anything happened to Regina just because she had the misfortune of crossing Emma’s path and becoming the object of Emma’s … fascination. 

No, the best she could do was to try and find Regina and if necessary to provide a distraction so Regina could get to safety, if she was in any danger at all. With that thought, Emma slipped out from behind the tree and stepped forward through the barrier.

Once outside, she remained still for a second to make sure that Red and the other hunters and trackers had indeed moved off. Then she turned around to face the barrier, just to check if she really didn’t see what Red and Graham had seen. And no, there was no mountain in sight, only trees and the sun streaming through them. 

_Magic_ , Emma thought with a smile.

She wondered where to go for a moment before something inside of her told her to go right. Hoping it was more than just her breakfast settling, she decided to follow her gut and broke out in a light run, her cloak pulled close around her body.

The sun was far past its highest point when frustration and fear started to really make themselves known in Emma’s brain. She’d been traveling through the forest for what felt like hours now without any sign of Regina. Emma was just taking a breather and taking a sip of water from her flask — wondering if she should just head back to Regina’s cabin in case her unicorn friend had never actually ventured outside her protected space — when she heard faint voices.

Instinctively, she hid behind a tree but then shook herself and decided to climb the tree instead so she could actually see what she was dealing with. She doubted it were her mother’s hunters this deep in the forest because she’d moved in the opposite direction but there was no way to be sure. She moved carefully onto a thick branch and moved aside the leaves to see a clearing in the forest and a small group of people nearing it from the side farthest from her.

Emma peered around the clearing, checking to see if there were more people moving around when an unusual movement in a dense copse of trees caught her eye. There was nothing obvious there when she stopped and stared but her gut feeling intensified. Emma tried to focus her eyes beyond the trees she could see, beyond the leaves, beyond the branches, trying to see what her gut told her was there. 

It took a few minutes but finally, there! A dark shape standing as still as possible, and Emma would bet her beloved horse that she had found Regina. She watched for a few more moments before switching her focus back to the humans at the far end of the clearing, their voices coming closer and becoming clearer. Now Emma could distinguish at least one woman among several men, but she didn’t recognize the voice. So, not her mother, nor Granny, nor Red.

Then the group came into view and Emma rolled her eyes at the sight. A group of men and a woman, all dressed in forest colors, mostly greens and browns? That could only be the fabled Robin Hood and his merry gang, even though they all looked quite a bit older than Emma had always imagined from the tales at court. If Emma had to guess, she’d say that the outlaws were her parents’ age, hair beginning to gray, faces lined with the signs of a not always easy life. 

Emma had no idea if there was any kind of history between Regina and the outlaws — good or bad, in human form or as a unicorn — but from the way Regina stayed in hiding, Emma reckoned it was safe to assume that she needed to provide a distraction to allow Regina to escape and return to safety because it was very clear that she didn’t want to be seen by them. 

Emma wondered if the merry men had tried to catch the black unicorn in the past but in the end it really didn’t matter one way or the other. If Regina needed help, Emma was there to provide it. She jumped down from her tree as quietly as she could, which apparently wasn’t all that quiet because as soon as she straightened and looked up, she found herself facing a number of arrows nocked on bows across the clearing, ready to fire.

“Hello,” Emma shouted with a wave, putting on an innocent air. “I’m so glad to meet someone! Maybe you could help me?”

The outlaws shared a look, faces unchanged, but finally the woman was the first to lower her bow. Emma slowly walked towards them until she met the group in the middle of the clearing. She forced herself not to look to her right where she knew Regina was hiding and instead slowly moved to her left, circling the group that automatically moved with her until their backs where turned to Regina’s hiding spot.

“Who are you?” a man asked.

“My name is … Abigail,” Emma lied, hoping nobody would notice the short pause. “Who are _you_?”

The woman raised one eyebrow, the skin around her eyes crinkling in not-quite-a-smile, making her dark eyes light up. She was beautiful with her dark locks with just a touch of gray strewn in, and her slightly darker skin. She looked somewhat familiar and her reaction made Emma wonder if she had been caught in her little lie because they had met before. 

“My name is Marian,” the woman finally said, confirming the identity of her company. “And this is Robin.”

Robin Hood nodded curtly, the rest of the men following suit. “What brings someone like you this deep into the forest all alone?” he asked with a hint of suspicion and condescension.

Emma wanted to bristle at his tone but she realized she had a golden opportunity here to kill two birds with one stone — provide a distraction and get some information for her quest. With how long the outlaws had been living in the forest, they had probably heard the same stories she had heard as a child, and hopefully they had heard even more of them. 

It was worth a try. “I’m looking for someone,” Emma said. “A fairy.”

“A fairy?” Robin Hood asked. 

“Let me guess,” Marian added. “You’re trying to find your true love?”

_Well, not mine exactly but yeah …_ “So you know the old stories, too? When I was a child there was a story of a fairy who helped people find their happiness … and I want to find her, if she exists.”

“I know what stories you speak of. But the fairy …” Marian’s face clouded over. “Well, what the stories never say is that she was young and naive at the time, and she tried to help the wrong person.”

“Oh?”

“I only know the stories,” Marian continued, “but as far as I know she tried to help a young woman who was very unhappy. So the green fairy tried to find her true love for her. I don’t know if the woman ever found what she was looking for but …”

“But?”

“According to the stories I heard, the fairy was punished for interfering with the woman’s destiny or something like that.” Marian shrugged. “Sorry, it’s been years since I last heard the story.”

“Do you remember what her punishment was?” Emma tried to ask calmly although her heart beat wildly at the information she was receiving. “Or who the young woman was she tried to help?”

Her heartbeat picked up even more when she saw Regina suddenly standing out in the open behind the outlaws, hesitating for a very long moment before shaking her head and slowly and silently moving away, hopefully headed for home.

Robin saw Emma’s gaze and turned around just as Regina vanished between some trees. “Is that … Was that …?” he asked, grabbing his bow tighter. 

“I didn’t see anything,” Emma said quickly. “A large squirrel maybe?”

Marian gave her a disbelieving look while Robin continued to stare into the forest. But nothing moved, not even the leaves in the wind, and finally Robin shrugged and gave up.

Emma let out the breath she had unconsciously been holding, hoping she wasn’t too obvious about it. “So,” she said quickly, “the fairy? Do you remember her punishment? Or the woman?”

Marian was still giving her a look but in the end she shook her head slightly. “I’m not sure I remember,” she replied.

Emma sensed she was lying and wondered what reason Marian had for that. But before she could insist, one of the other outlaws piped up. “Wasn’t the fairy banished from the fairies?” he asked. “Took ‘er wings an’ all.”

“Yeah,” another joined in, a jovial-looking, round-faced guy. “My mom always said the head fairy sent her off into the wilds to live among humans, without magic.”

“That’s it,” the first one crowed. “And didn’t she roam these parts for a while? Lived right here in the forest according to my gran.”

“Yeah,” the jovial man agreed. “And the gal she tried to help turned out to be the Evil Queen, Regina. Right?” He looked at Marian, then the others. 

Emma also looked at Marian who had the grace to look uncomfortable. “They’re right,” she sighed. “I seem to remember the stories now. The green fairy lost all her privileges and was banished by Rheul Gorm, the head fairy. Nobody really knows what happened back then or if it really was the Evil Queen she tried to help or just some unhappy young woman … But it’s been told that after she was banished she was seen in the area around the castle a lot until she was finally driven into the forest. But that was decades ago, so who knows where she is now?”

Robin cleared his throat. “Several years ago,” he said slowly, “maybe ten years or so? I was hunting in the very far end of the forest,” he pointed to his right. “Over by the edge where the road to Greenshade crosses the river and merges with the road into the valley of Nirn.”

Emma nodded. She had traveled both roads when she had accompanied her mother on trade visits or her father on hunting trips. The area was wild, much wilder than the forest here, dark and overgrown, and at least a day’s ride, two or more if she had to make her way through the thick of the woods to avoid her mother’s hunters. “Thank you!” she said sincerely. “That was quite helpful.”

Marian smiled. “You’re welcome … _Emma_.”

Emma couldn’t stop the small gasp from escaping at hearing her own name. “I don’t know … I mean …”

“Calm down,” Marian said almost gently. “We’re not your enemies.”

“Didn’t she say her name was Abigail?” Robin looked confused. “Have you two met before?”

“We have,” Marian replied with a smile. “Back when I was still Maid Marian, a respectable member of this kingdom’s society.” Her tone was dry as dust. “I was a guest at Queen Snow’s court a few times. You were much younger then but I do remember you. But I assume you have your reasons for traveling under a different name, which are none of our business.”

Robin opened his mouth to say something but Marian stopped him. “None of our business, darling. Leave her be.” Robin looked even more confused now but he acquiesced.

Marian turned to Emma. “Good luck on your endeavors but be very careful here in the forest. There’s more than fairies to be found here, and not everything or everyone you meet is harmless.”

“What do you mean?” Emma asked, wanting to know if the outlaws had any idea that the Regina roamed in their midst. 

“There are rumors about mythical creatures roaming these woods, and also … there are stories that the Evil Queen’s ghost is still haunting the area around the castle where she was killed,” Marian advised her. “And she is not someone you want to run into.”

“I’m not afraid of ghosts,” Emma insisted. _Nor of a very much alive Regina._

“Some ghosts should be feared.” Marian visibly shuddered. “And the Evil Queen was always a force to be reckoned with, whether alive or after her death. There are also rumors that she wasn’t really killed and simply vanished into thin air, biding her time until she can return. Witches don’t die easily.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Emma declared, by now quite ready to end this conversation. “But now I must be on my way.”

“You could rest in our camp tonight,” Marian offered, making the men around her stare daggers at her. 

“Thank you for the offer,” Emma said, “but I left my camp and my horse near the mountain over there. I could leave the camp behind, but never my horse.”

“We understand,” Robin said quickly, more than glad that Emma declined Marian’s offer. 

Marian chuckled at how obvious he was being about it. “Yes, we do understand,” she added nonetheless. “Good luck on your travels — and remember: be careful.”

Emma thanked them again before turning around and walking quickly away from the group, careful not to walk straight to where she really wanted to be now. The last thing she needed was to lead Maid Marian and her merry gang — because no way was Robin Hood their leader — to Regina.

When Emma judged she was out of earshot of the group, she climbed a tree and settled in to wait and see if someone was following her. After what felt like hours, the minutes dragging on interminably, she decided that the outlaws were indeed leaving her to her business and were going about their own somewhere else. 

Emma climbed down and made her way home … — _Regina’s_ home, she corrected quickly in her mind — and judging from the sun’s position she could make out through the trees, Regina might be human again by the time Emma made it back. 

_Good, they had much to talk about._ But more than that, she was simply looking forward to seeing Regina.

 


	3. Avoiding the white elephant in the forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Emma and Regina talk (but not about the white elephant in the forest they should be talking about)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a little longer because writing it resembled a wrestling match. I wanted them to talk about Feelings, and they wanted to avoid them. They won. The chapter title is a reaction to that. I hope you'll still enjoy the update ... because not talking about an issue doesn't mean it's not there ... ;-)

Emma was breathing a little hard when she finally made it back to Regina’s cabin. This time she had barely noticed passing the barrier, maybe because she was crossing it at a bit of a run. Or maybe she was just getting used to it.

Regina — in all her human beauty — watched her come to a stop in front of the cabin where Regina was just putting down a platter of cheese and a basket of bread on a tree stump that was doing double duty as a table.

“What’s the hurry, Princess?” she asked with a smirk. “Afraid you were going to miss the show?”

“Show?” Emma gulped down a lungful of air. “What—“

“My transformation,” Regina explained. “Isn’t that why you so obviously ran back? I’m sorry I won’t be able to satisfy your curiosity tonight.” Her tone made it clear she was anything but.

Emma shook her head. “That’s really not why I ran back.” She took the tankard of water Regina handed her and drained it halfway. “I was worried,” she admitted, still breathing unevenly.

“Worried?” Regina’s eyebrow rose in a graceful arch almost to her hairline. “About me?” She wasn’t sure whether to be touched or offended. “I’ve been living like this for more years than you’ve been alive and so far I’ve managed just fine without your knightly urges to save me.”

Emma felt like she had touched a nerve and should tread carefully. Unfortunately, her temper tended to be more volatile than reasonable. “Well, it looked to me like you most definitely needed my help earlier, back in the forest. Or were you planning on staying hidden in that bush until the coast was clear again?”

“Watch your tongue, Princess!” Regina hissed. “Or have you already forgotten who you’re talking to?”

“I told you not to call me that,” Emma growled. “And what are you going to do to me, _Your Majesty_?” She took a step closer to Regina and poked her in the chest.

A fireball appeared in Regina’s hand almost before she even consciously thought of conjuring one. “Take your hands off me, Princess,” she snarled, more out of surprise than anything else. She hadn’t been able to call up this much magic in forever. What the hell was going on here?

Emma took a huge step back, holding her hands up in surrender. “What’s going on, Regina?” she asked. “I thought you couldn’t do magic? At least not that …”

Regina wordlessly shook her head but curled her hand into a fist, extinguishing the flame, all her anger gone as suddenly as it had arrived, replaced by uncertainty and a lot of questions she wasn’t sure she wanted an answer to. “I … don’t know,” she finally managed to whisper. “I’m not sure.”

“Hey, it’s all right,” Emma said immediately, her own anger changing to concern at the bewildered look on Regina’s face. “Maybe we should sit down and talk?”

Regina nodded and sat down on the wooden bench in front of the cabin. “Yes, maybe we should talk some more,” she said, sighed really because as much as she knew that they should talk, she also wanted to avoid thinking about all of this.

Emma sat down, then picked up some bread and cheese and offered them to Regina who shook her head, grabbing a bottle with amber liquid instead and pouring a generous amount into her empty tankard.

“Cider?” Regina held up the bottle. At the ensuing nod, she filled Emma’s tankard as well.

They drank, then spoke simultaneously. 

“What was that about you looking for a fairy?”

“What’s going on with your magic?”

They both fell silent, waiting for the other to speak first until Regina finally smirked. “I asked first.”

Emma snorted. “You didn’t … but if you say so.”

“I say so.” 

Regina relaxed a little, knowing that her question would lead to a much safer topic for both of them … or at least for her. She had no idea how to answer Emma’s question for one, and all her suspicions — fed by the way she had felt waking up that morning and the unusual reaction of her magic to Emma’s presence — were better left somewhere in a deep, dark corner of her heart. Maybe she could pull those thoughts out once Emma had left, and examine them a little more closely when she felt more … stable, but for now focusing on Emma’s ridiculous _quest_ to save her would be a welcome distraction.

She repeated her question. “So … why are you looking for a fairy?”

Emma took another sip of the potent cider before launching into her story and what she hoped to gain from finding the fairy. As she was talking, her eyes stayed on Regina’s face which was going through a range of emotions that Emma found hard to read. Recognition was there — so Regina clearly knew the story as well - but there also seemed to be dismay, pain, and maybe even a touch of anger. When Emma was finished, a silence thick as lead settled over the two of them once more.

“You’ve heard the story,” Emma concluded after Regina made no move to say anything and seemed very interested in the contents of her tankard. She remembered that one of the merry men had said that the story was about Regina.

“I do,” Regina admitted. When she looked up, the eyes that met Emma’s were dark and stormy. “I should,” she added. “It’s my story, too, at least parts of it.”

“So it really _is_ your story?” Emma asked, her brain still so caught up in watching Regina’s eyes and facial expressions that it hadn’t quite caught up yet. “Are you saying you actually were—“

“… the girl Tinkerbell wanted to help, yes,” Regina interrupted. “Not that I asked her to.”

“Tinkerbell?”

“Yes, Tinkerbell.” Regina looked away, staring into the distance. “That is her name.”

“What happened?” Emma wondered how the stories she’d heard as a child could cause such a look of sadness and deep unhappiness in Regina’s eyes. At least now she knew why her mother hadn’t allowed her to hear the story any longer. She had probably punished any mention of Regina in the castle until her name had vanished from people’s memory.

“You said you know the story,” Regina said dismissively. 

“I told you all I _remember_ from when I was just a child,” Emma pointed out, “and I have n idea if that’s what actually happened. After what I learned about my family over the past couple of days, I suddenly doubt everything I ever heard in that castle.”

Regina snorted. “That’s probably a very wise idea, knowing your mother.” She paused. “Although there used to be decent people in the kitchens. I’ve always liked this one cook, Hilda.”

Emma hummed in agreement. “She was the one who used to tell me stories when I snuck down to get something to eat or drink after bedtime. She would make me a hot cocoa or something, just the way I like it and would … just talk to me.” Emma turned sad. “After she stopped telling me the story—“

“No doubt because your mother threatened to punish her for it,” Regina grumbled.

“— I didn’t go down to the kitchens as much any more but I missed her,” Emma continued. “She died a few years ago.”

“Oh.” Regina looked just as sad as Emma did. “She was always kind to me, always made sure to sneak me something to eat after dinner.”

Emma’s brow creased in confusion. “Why would she need to do that?” 

“Your grandfather liked his girl bride to remain girlish in figure, Princess,” Regina replied flatly, her voice sounding dead. “But more important than the morsels of food was her knowledge of teas and other remedies for ailments and … other things. Until I learned magic, I had to make use of her skills quite a lot.”

“I don’t want to know, do I?” Emma asked softly.

“No, Princess, I’m sure you don’t.”

The toneless voice told Emma that this topic was closed, and she struggled to come up with a way of continuing the conversation, of getting back to the way it had been. Not that they had been engaging in pleasant banter before but at least their talk wasn’t smothered by the black cloud of the pain Emma’s family had caused Regina. “I’m sorry,” was what came out of her mouth, softly and unsure.

Regina looked over, studying Emma for a long moment. “It’s all right, Emma,” she said quietly. “It’s not your fault, and I don’t blame you for your grandfather’s cruelty nor your mother’s many faults.” She reached over and rested her hand on Emma’s for a fleeting moment that nonetheless set every nerve ending in Emma’s arm on fire.

Emma stared helplessly at her hand, wondering how Regina’s innocent touch could have such a profound effect on her body, completely missing Regina’s speculative glance at the way the fine hairs on Emma’s arms were standing at attention. Once again Regina was reminded that they should probably talk about this — whatever this was — but she had no idea where to start or how to broach the subject without giving too much away.

Emma cleared her throat, successfully breaking the tension and Regina’s train of thought. “So,” she croaked, “Tinkerbell?”

Regina let out a drawn-out sigh, slightly annoyed to be reminded of that time, that specific moment in her own personal history but also relieved to be back on the relatively safe subject of the past. “Tinkerbell,” she drawled, “was a very young, inexperienced, naive, and entirely too meddlesome fairy when I met her …” She trailed off, looking at the lake with a sad smile before continuing, “… but she was also my friend.”

“Go on,” Emma gently prodded.

“She came into my life at a point when I was extremely unhappy and had been for years. You know enough about my life by now to imagine what it was like. I lived a life devoid of love or friendship, without hope, …”

“That’s enough to drive anyone mad,” Emma murmured, repeating her assessment of the night before.

“Or in my case to slowly embrace the darkness and turn into an evil witch,” Regina agreed more laconically than she felt. “But back then I was still young and the Evil Queen was only a very hazy figure on the horizon.” She took another fortifying drink. “Tink was friendly and showed more interest in me than anyone except for my father ever had. I was wary at first but she won me over soon enough. I don’t know if it was fairy dust or magic or simply her ready smiles and joy …” Regina shrugged. “She knew how unhappy I was, even though I never shared the particulars of my life with her, at least not in all the gory details … but when I fell off a castle balcony by accident, she assumed I was unhappy enough to kill myself, and she saved my life.”

“I’m so very glad she did.” Emma’s quiet voice slipped into Regina’s ears, and right this very second she couldn’t quite disagree with the sentiment, no matter how often she had cursed at Tink’s memory about the very same thing in the past.

“She must have decided to do something about my state of perpetual misery then and there, regardless of the fact that she wasn’t really allowed to do anything for me.”

“Why not?”

Regina shrugged. “The fairies apparently had decided I wasn’t worth their time or effort.” She wasn’t going to mention the years upon years of pleading, begging and wishing to the fairies.

“Was that when she used the fairy dust to find your true love?” Emma wondered aloud. “At least that’s what the story said she did … And why did you not accept the gift?”

“ _Gift?_ ” Regina snarled, incensed. “You think what Tink did was a _gift_?”

“I-It wasn’t?”

“No.” The reply was short, stark. 

“All right …” Emma felt lost and unsure. How did one deal with a woman as formidable and yet as fragile as Regina? She tried to lighten the mood and injected some levity into her tone. “Why not? Did the dust not lead to someone? Or the wrong someone? Someone unsuitable?”

To Emma’s surprise, Regina actually snorted at that, although it wasn’t really a joyful sun. “You could say that.” 

Regina looked up into the tree tops, trying to see the first stars in the now black sky. When her eyes turned back to Emma, the princess could swear that she saw amusement in them as well as a host of other emotions. Never before had she met anyone with such impressive eyes or features, and not for the first time Emma wondered how Regina had survived at court with wearing her heart on her sleeve the way she did.

“The dust led me to a tavern in a small village not far from the castle,” Regina continued as if reciting a well-known story, which she was.

“And you refused to go inside,” Emma picked up the story the way she knew it.

Regina shook her head. “Here’s where the stories differ wildly from what actually happened.” 

“So you did meet him? Or her? Or … whatever?”

“I did go inside,” Regina confirmed, “but things were not as clear cut as Tink had made them out to be.”

“What do you mean?”

“The dust led me inside the tavern and straight to Robin Hood of all people, although I didn’t know his name back then.”

“Robin Hood?” Emma sputtered, spewing the cider she had just drunk all over their cheese and fruit, then watched in awe as Regina removed the liquid with a flick of her hand. Emma made a mental note to ask about the sudden return of Regina’s magic later.

“Yes, Robin Hood … and he was all wrapped up in Marian,” Regina continued. “His true love.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, oh.” Regina smiled. “I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, Princess, but fairy dust doesn’t actually work. It’s just something the fairies want you to believe, and simple folk often do because it gives them hope for love and a good life.”

Emma was only half listening, her brain mulling over options. She had grown up hearing about the power of fairy magic, had seen examples of it at her mother’s court, which is why she had always believed the story. Maybe there had been other reasons why it didn’t work.

“You’re quiet all of a sudden,” Regina murmured. “Disappointed?”

Emma shook her head. “Not really. I’m still going to try and find her, I think. The fairy dust may have not worked for you but there could be many reasons for that.” She saw Regina’s skeptical look. “Maybe there was someone else in that tavern you were meant to meet or maybe … maybe your true love hadn’t been born yet.”

The look Regina gave her was downright dangerous as she growled her reply. “You can say many things about me, _Princess_ , and most people will, but I never did nor never will take lovers that are not of age!” There was magic crackling in the air around her. “In fact, that was something punishable by death when I was queen, and not just because I wa—“

“That’s not what I meant,” Emma hastily interrupted. “Not even a little bit!”

“Oh no?”

“No,” Emma insisted. “I just thought that the fairy dust might have gotten confused that night because it had not taken something like this curse into consideration? What if you were meant to find your true love now when you need them to break this curse?” _What if it were me? I really wish it were me …_

“Then why would it lead me to Robin and his one true love?” 

Emma shrugged, thinking along as she spoke. “Maybe because either Robin or Marian share traits with your true love? Or maybe because they were an actual representation of true love in the vicinity? I don’t know,” she admitted. 

“And maybe it was because my true love was already dead,” Regina whispered, voice pained. But something in her heart refused to dismiss the idea as eagerly as her mouth did, and occurrences over the past two days replayed in her mind — the way Emma had just waltzed through the barrier around her home, the way the princess had just accepted her and vowed to free her. The way she had felt the night before sleeping in Emma’s embrace. The fact that she had even allowed her presence in her home and hadn’t really been able to help it. The way hope had blossomed in her chest, and was blooming brightly now. 

_Hope_ , she mentally snarled. That traitorous emotion that never brought anything but pain.

“Hey, are you all right?” Emma asked suddenly. 

Regina shook herself out of her thoughts. “Yes, I’m fine, Princess.” Create some distance. Distance is good. “I just don’t see how the fairy is going to be able to help you. I told you fairy dust doesn’t work … ”

“I don’t know what she can do,” Emma admitted. “But I’m hoping Tinkerbell might have some answers for me, and maybe she has a way to try again.”

All of a sudden, Regina felt tired, exhausted in body and mind. “She was stripped of her wings,” she reminded Emma. “And with them of all her magic. So even _if_ you found her and convinced her to help you so you can _free_ me — which is a really big and quite frankly impossible request since she blames me for losing her wings, mind you — she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.”

The resigned way Regina relayed all of that made the magnitude of her quest hit Emma all over again. She sat back with a scowl, her enthusiasm dampened for now. But _just_ for now, she swore. 

“No matter,” Emma finally decided against the rim of her tankard before swallowing a large mouthful of cider and relishing the burn as it went down. “I’m still going to head out tomorrow to find Tinkerbell.” She faced Regina. “And I _will_ find a way to free you with or without her help.”

Regina gave her an indulgent smile. “I certainly won’t stop you, Princess,” she said softly, and for once the title sounded like an endearment, not a way to create distance. “It will be nice to have my home to myself again.” _Possibly. Maybe. Eventually._

Emma was dumbstruck as she realized that Regina was lying and her heart jumped in her chest. Was that even possible? Maybe the former queen was so starved of human contact that she’d even miss a princess that had stumbled into her life and refused to leave her alone? Or could she hope for a better reason, a nicer reason? Did Regina feel the same pull between them that drew Emma to her like a moth to a flame? Did she feel as if there was always more to say that she just couldn’t? 

Emma dreaded leaving in the morning — even though she knew she had to if only to assuage her own curiosity — and was already certain she would be yearning to return from the moment she left. 

But there was no way that Regina felt the same way, was there? Emma shook her head with a rueful, self-deprecating and looked over at Regina whose eyes met hers with an unreadable look in them. 

“Are you all right?” Regina whispered, her voice inexplicably, undeniably shaky.

“Yeah,” Emma rasped in reply, finding it hard to look away from the dark depths of Regina’s eyes. Her mind scrambled for something to say. “I just realized I have no ideas where to find Tinkerbell.” That was as valid a thing to say as anything since Regina had missed that part of her conversation with Robin and Marian. Besides, maybe Regina had other information … “Any idea where I should start looking?”

Regina snorted, maybe in surprise, maybe in exasperation. “Don’t tell me you didn’t ask the outlaws, Princess,”she drawled, the title once more far removed from being an endearment. 

“I did,” Emma admitted, “but their information was at least a decade old. Robin said she might be at the edge of the forest where the roads to Greenshade and Nirn meet.”

“By the old bridge, yes,” Regina said. “I heard that, too.”

Emma studied Regina. “There’s more, isn’t there?”

Regina nodded after a slight pause. “I ran into her once, in my unicorn form, and it was around that area.” It was the farthest she had ever moved away from her home in the forest. “She didn’t recognize me, of course, but she also didn’t try to come close to me, which was unusual for a fairy. Even for a former fairy.”

“So what happened?”

“I left her alone as she seemed to want to,” Regina continued, “but I stayed close and saw her move into the ravine under the bridge. I couldn’t follow her without being seen but my eyesight is a lot better than any human’s when I’m a unicorn, so I tried to follow her with my eyes, and after a while, she disappeared into the side of the mountain.” 

“Thank you,” Emma replied. “I’ll start looking for a cave or something like that.”

“One more thing,” Regina said. “Don’t keep your eyes on the ground when looking for fairies. They do like trees.”

Emma nodded, making a mental note to check for tree houses as well. Then, a huge yawn escaped her.

“Go to bed,” Regina said. “Your horse has already been taken care of, so you can rest easy.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll stay up for a while yet,” Regina replied softly. “I do like to enjoy being human for as long as possible.” _And then I’ll sleep in the stables,_ she added in her mind, not trusting herself to spend another night in the same space as Emma. It wouldn’t do to get too used to being close to her, wouldn’t do to feed the hope that was growing and growing in her chest, wouldn’t do to waken her heart any more, wouldn’t do to risk sleeping in Emma’s arms, wouldn’t do to risk not waking up in time for her transformation.

Emma looked saddened by that but she got up nonetheless, tired from a busy day and her mad run through the forest to get back to Regina. At the door to the cabin she stopped and looked over her shoulder. “I’ll see you later?”

Regina found herself unable to speak around the sudden tightness in her chest, and she was glad it was now so dark out that she knew Emma could barely see her. The hope in Emma’s voice almost made her change her mind but she knew she couldn’t, shouldn’t. “You will,” she finally pressed out.

_Morning counted as later, didn’t it?_


	4. Hope is a traitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina does some thinking (and some magic) and breaks a promise she made herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for being patient. Once more, our ladies are doing what they want (which in this case might be something you all agree with :P). I hope I'll be able to finally send Emma off to find Tink in the next chapter.

Regina sat in the dark with her tankard of cider, her third of the night. She had been steadily drinking, sip after sip after small sip, while her eyes lingered on the fireflies dancing along the shore of the small lake by her cabin just as her thoughts lingered on the princess currently occupying her bed. And the more her thoughts lingered on Emma and the more she drank, the more her resolve to stay away, to remain distant wavered.

She put down the almost empty tankard and stood, stretching her body and enjoying the way her muscles tensed and relaxed under her clothes. Her unicorn form had granted her a very nice and strong body, and for a minute she contemplated what would happen if Emma were indeed successful somehow. What if Emma broke the curse? Would she miss the unicorn, her other half? How would she change? She shook her head with a smirk. It was useless to think about things that were impossible.

Regina walked over to the lake to greet the fireflies, the only forest creatures in her sanctuary that regularly kept her company. A lot of that was her fault, she knew, as she had actively chased away any bird she had seen in the beginning, fearing they had been spying for Snow. They had stopped coming for a few years, leaving the forest strangely silent and empty, but they had returned slowly over the last ten years or so, and by that point Regina had been happy about that. Still, they seemed to keep their distance but Regina didn’t mind as long as she could hear them sing.

She stood by the water as the fireflies surrounded her, whirling around and brightening the night and her mood, however much Regina might not have wanted that. But even the beautiful display didn’t manage to tear her thoughts from Emma for long.

_Princess Emma, daughter of Snow White._ She sounded out the name in her mind, trying hard to feel the anger and disgust that she should be feeling at the reminder of her greatest enemy being so close. It was futile. 

“Princess Emma of the White Kingdom.” She tried it out loud with as much disdain as she could only to realize she just didn’t have it in her. Instead, it sounded almost affectionate to her own ears, and she growled, a sound coming from deep within her body, a mixture of despair and revulsion at the warmth in her chest. How was it possible that the princess had managed to worm her way inside in this short a time? And not just into her mind or her sanctuary but also, she feared, into her heart? 

She sank down in the grass and leaned over the water, studying her reflection in the light of the fireflies. She imagined that the light she suddenly saw in her own eyes was simply due to the light buzzing around her but when she studied the face in the water more closely, she saw other changes as well. The woman looking back at her looked less tense than she remembered and once she started to really look for it, Regina could see the hope that had made its way into the watery visage, unbidden and unwanted.

She had no idea how long she had been sitting in the grass by the time she felt the evening chill creeping into her bones. She groaned as she got to her feet and took some time stretching her body again before walking back to the cabin. Her eyes went from the stables, where she had planned to sleep, to the cabin door, behind which a warm bed was waiting for her. Back and forth her eyes went, a war raging inside her heart and mind, until she finally stepped through door to the cabin, a disgusted snort escaping her lips at her own erratic behavior. 

She only hoped she wouldn’t regret choosing comfort over reason, knowing full well that she might.

Regina changed into a sleeping shift quietly, then climbed the few steps to the loft with her bed, her eyes taking in as much as she could in the darkness. The rickety ladder-like stairs, the meager bed, the small cabin around her, a life that had been enough for many, many year living as a hermit in the woods. Now, with her magic returning more and more every hour, every minute — she could feel it coursing through her veins — she wondered if she should do something about the way she lived. It was okay for her alone but … 

Regina abruptly stopped her thoughts when she realized where her tired mind had been leading her. There was that hope again, the treacherous thing. Unneeded, unwanted, but lurking in the shadows nonetheless, waiting to lay claim to her heart when she let her guard down. Her eyes went to the still, sleeping body in the middle of her bed. _It’s all your fault_ , she accused silently but even in her own mind the words sounded more fond than harsh.

Regina laid down at the edge of her mattress, noticing the lumps and bumps and decided that for now, she would use her magic for something useful like a better bed, and with a minuscule flick of her wrist she was lying on a decidedly less lumpy and far thicker and more comfortable mattress. With a smile and a soft sigh that she would never admit to letting out she closed her eyes, her body automatically seeking out the source of warmth only inches away.

“I didn’t think you’d join me up here,” the warm lump next to her suddenly whispered.

Feeling somewhat caught, Regina cleared her throat. “Why would you think that, Princess?” _Distance was good, was important._

“Dunno,” Emma mumbled. “You were acting strangely tonight.”

At this, Regina let out a snort. “You’ve not known me long enough to be able to judge that,” she reprimanded quietly but firmly.” The last thing she needed was another member of the White family telling her how to behave. In her own home. “If you don’t like the way I behave, you’re free to leave, you know. It’s not like I invited you.”

Emma rose on one elbow and looked at her. “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant.” She huffed out a breath. “You’re right that I haven’t known you for that long but …” She stopped with a shake of her head and laid back down again.

Regina couldn’t stop her curiosity from spilling out. “But?”

Emma hesitated for a moment. “But … but I feel like I _do_ know you, strange as that may sound,” she finally whispered to the wooden beams above their heads. “And I want to know you even more, even better.” Emma turned her head and met Regina’s eyes in the darkness. “I can’t explain it but I’ve never met anyone like you … someone I felt this close to without having to work at it, someone I … someone that makes me feel things I haven’t felt before.”

Regina swallowed hard and, to her embarrassment, audibly. “Feelings?” she croaked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer to that.

“I don’t know what they mean,” Emma mused softly. “I feel connected to you, have been from the very first but I don’t know what it means.” Her voice almost a whine. “I want to help you, I want to free you … I want to make you happy—“

“My Knight in shining armor,” Regina breathed involuntarily. 

“Could you maybe use my name?” Emma pleaded.

_Names have power_ , Regina thought, _too much power._ “Emma,” she whispered nonetheless.

“Regina,” Emma whispered back, and Regina shivered. _Names have power_ , and she could feel the threads between them grow. Emma continued to mumble sleepily. “I think I’d like to be your … friend.”

Regina wished she only imagined the cold, harsh stab she felt at the word. _Friend, of course._ Friendship was better, for sure, less dangerous to her and Emma, and would most definitely be the wise and safe choice. Why then did the thought deflate her so? Her eyes closed as hope curled up and crawled back where it came from. “Sleep well, Prin— _Emma_ ,” she finally got out around the lump in her throat.

“You too,” Emma mumbled.

Regina tried to relax and go to sleep, her ears tuned to the woman softly breathing next to her. _In. Out. In. Out._ She still had to be a little drunk or way too tired because she suddenly wished for Emma to come closer, to curl up around her again like she had the night before. She’d felt this yearning for closeness before, a long, long time ago, and it was an almost foreign feeling now like seeing someone you knew after a long time and barely recognizing them and then not knowing how to greet them. _Friend indeed._

Finally, however, Emma’s even breaths calmed Regina’s mind and slowly began pulling her into sleep. She turned onto her side, facing away from temptation, and wiggled her body a few times, luxuriating in the new and much improved bed. 

Just as she was about to drift into sleepy oblivion, a thought crossed her mind with some alarm. There had been a good reason for her lumpy bed: it helped her get up in time in the morning before she changed. With a sigh and another flick of her fingers, she toned down the comfort level, hoping it would be enough to do the trick. 

She registered a soft groan behind her with a small smile and fell asleep.

 

o—o—o

 

Regina woke up feeling warm and comfortable and still in her human form, which she considered a success after her worry before she had fallen asleep. She registered the darkness in the cabin and relaxed, knowing she still had some time. Her body was not yet telling her it was time to move, so she closed her eyes again and snuggled deeper into the embrace.

_Embrace?!_ Her eyes flew open and her head lifted slightly to take in her position. _Their_ position because for a moment Regina had a hard time telling whose body part was where. She was lying half on Emma, half on the bed, their legs intimately intertwined. She could feel Emma against her thigh and supposed that if Emma were awake, she’d be able to feel _her_ as well. 

Regina realized with a sense of dread that her sleeping shift had ridden up in the night, probably to accommodate their position, and that one of Emma’s hands was resting underneath it on her back. The other hand, she soon noticed, had a possessive hold on the back of her upper thigh. She focused on her own hands and blushed when she realized where her subconscious had placed them in the night. Her right arm was trapped under Emma’s body, the hand cupping her ass while her left hand … her left hand was resting between Emma’s breasts, her thumb stretched just enough to barely graze a soft nipple.

Regina’s first instinct was to pull both hands back as quickly as possible and jump from the bed but that would have woken Emma. And the very last thing she needed right now was having to meet Emma’s eyes as the other woman realized what had happened during the night. Still, she knew she should get up, get away before Emma woke up.

Her body, however, had other ideas. It felt warm and _good_ , and getting up was not what it felt like doing right now. Regina was powerless to resist the pull she felt towards closing her eyes once more and burrowing closer. She felt the arms around her tighten in response and a shiver ran through her body when Emma’s thigh inadvertently pressed harder against a spot that hadn’t felt anyone’s touch but her own in too many years. Her eyes finally slipped close, her head returned to resting on a strong shoulder, her nose pressing against a delicate collarbone. She thought she heard Emma sigh but by that time she was already asleep again.

Her mind jerked her back to consciousness what felt like a second later. Regina opened her eyes to see the day’s first pre-dawn light through the small, round east-facing window of the loft. She was taking stock of her position — unchanged, entangled, comfortable — and considering her options as she began to feel the first tingling deep in her bones that told her that she had run out of time. There was no chance to disentangle herself without waking Emma. _Unless …_

The tingling in her body was getting stronger, so with a sense of panic she hadn’t felt in years Regina pulled her left hand from under Emma’s shift, flicked it with as much focus as she could muster and hoped for the best. Not even a second later she found herself outside her cabin, her body already morphing.

_Well_ , she thought, _looks like Emma will have to take care of her own breakfast this morning._ With a soft snort through her nostrils, she shook her massive head, her horn gleaming in the sunlight, and walked off to stretch her muscles with a quick morning run.


	5. Quests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma is finally off on her quest, and Regina comes to a (somewhat unrealistic as it turns out) resolution.

Emma smiled a little ruefully as she saddled Galanthus and handed him an apple. She’d have liked to have said goodbye to Regina but the sun had been up for a good long while once she had made it down from the loft and she’d missed her chance. She had woken up feeling strangely relaxed, a smile bubbling up from deep inside, her whole body rested, her mind at ease. She wondered if it had been Regina’s cider but then she had remembered that Regina had come to bed against her expectations and that they’d had some kind of conversation. Too bad she’s been mostly asleep and could barely remember it, although she did recall saying something about friendship and happiness. 

Emma _wanted_ to be Regina’s friend — wanting to free her from her curse proved that, didn’t it? — but the word left her with a hollow feeling she couldn’t explain. _Well_ , she thought as she led Galanthus out of the small stable towards the magical barrier, _no time like the present to fill that void — or at least ignore its existence — by finally going to find herself a fairy._

The edge of the forest was a good, long ride especially through the thick of the woods. Emma decided to avoid the roads as much as possible in case her mother’s guards and the realm’s hunters were still out there looking for her and Regina, which she assumed was the case. Her mother was not known to give up so quickly.

That meant, however, that it was well into the afternoon by the time Emma made it to the bridge and still more time passed until she found a good way into the ravine Regina had mentioned for her and her horse. It wasn’t too steep a descent but it was overgrown and more often than not Emma was tempted to just get out her sword and hack away at the clingy branches and annoying vines. It was only the fear of leaving too obvious a trail that stopped her and made her grit her teeth and bear it. Galanthus took it all in stride, only neighing every once in a while and shaking his head in annoyance when a bur stuck in his coat or his mane.

“Missing the nice stable and Regina’s apples, aren’t you, boy?” she murmured as she patted his neck during a short break. Emma looked at the shadows that were growing longer and longer around her. “I think we should find a spot for a camp, my friend,” she told Galanthus, receiving a gentle head butt in return. Emma sighed. “I miss her, too,” she whispered, her throat feeling rough around the words. “But we’re doing this for her.”

Suddenly, the hairs at the back of her neck were standing up. “I think we have company,” she whispered and Galanthus nodded in what Emma took as agreement. “Let’s move on.”

They continued down the narrow path and after a few minutes the feeling subsided until it was completely gone. Whoever had been watching her had either given up or had kept their distance, and tired as she was becoming, Emma was fine with either. When she finally spotted a promising spot to camp — a nice, large tree with thick branches with forks she could easily rest on — she was relieved. She tied Galanthus to the tree, brushed him off and patted him down a little, fed him and then herself before climbing up into the tree to get some sleep as the sun was setting beyond the horizon.

Her eyes fell closed in minutes and she never noticed the magic that wrapped around the tree, encompassing her and Galanthus.

 

o—o—o

 

Regina’s quick morning run turned into an all-out romp through the forest as she was feeling strangely energized. She wondered if that feeling had something to do with her newly reawakened magic powers which were coming back to full strength after lying almost entirely dormant for so long. She knew she’d actually have to start thinking of ways to use her magic so her body didn’t overload on the force coursing through her veins and causing her harm. She began making a list of things to do in her head: reinforcing the barrier — just in case Emma had made it through because it was weakening —, creating an extension to her cabin so she could finally have a bedroom downstairs, maybe with a door large enough to fit a unicorn — again, just in case — and maybe creating a bigger stable, so Emma’s horse— 

_No!_ Her mind screeched to a halt. She wasn’t going to fall into that trap, not going to start thinking of a future with Emma and her horse and who knew what else out here in the forest. Emma wanted friendship, so maybe she’d come to visit every once in a while but then her horse could damn well stay in the small stable the cabin had now.

Regina managed to focus on her surroundings once more as she continued on through the forest avoiding merry men and other living beings as she usually did. It was only when the sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky that her thoughts returned to the princess. She wondered if Emma had left on her quest yet and how far she had gotten. The thought that she’d be alone again, _finally_ , should bring her joy but to her dismay she realized that she felt a pang of loneliness instead, the likes of which she hadn’t felt in decades. 

_Damnation!_ How had she gotten so used to Emma’s presence that she might actually miss her after only two days! That couldn’t be, wouldn’t do. At all. 

But, Regina mused after brooding a while, she could at least make sure that the princess didn’t get lost or hurt. Couldn’t she? _Well, she should really, shouldn’t she?_ After all, Emma was undertaking this ridiculous quest for her, to save her, no matter if she needed saving or not. 

That was how Regina found herself at the edge of the forest checking if the roads were clear. When she neither saw nor heard anything, she swiftly moved across and to the side of the bridge where the path into the ravine began. She stretched her hearing and her sight until she managed to locate Emma who was leading Galanthus through some low trees farther into the ravine. 

Regina paused hidden between two trees having second thoughts. What was she doing here so far away from her home, this late in the day? What if her magic suddenly fizzled out again? _Well_ , she snorted, a hoof kicking the dark soil, _too late now_. If her magic wasn’t there, she’d have to find a spot to sleep and wait until morning. 

Mind made up, she followed Emma deeper into the ravine, always keeping her senses stretched as far as she could, always on alert for any noise that didn’t fit in with the normal sounds of the forest. She paused a few times to listen more closely when something caught her attention but fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any other humans close by, hunter or otherwise, and neither were there trolls or other more dangerous creatures.

Her body was already beginning to tingle with the telltale sings of her impending morphing when Emma finally seemed to stop. _Good choice,_ Regina thought when she caught sight of the tree Emma had chosen as her spot for the night. She watched from a distance as Emma took care of her horse and her own hunger before looking up into the tree. 

She was so engrossed in watching that she barely realized that the sun was setting, causing her to morph back into her human form, which was always just a little bit more painful than the other way around, her body feeling as if too many too large bones were trying to compress into a too small body but the process was at least quick. But by the time the change was complete and she could focus her sight and her magic again — still there, still feeling strong, still waiting to be used — Emma was nowhere to be seen.

Regina took a deep breath and stretched before slowly heading in the direction of Emma’s campsite, her steps muted and her presence shrouded by magic. Galanthus looked straight at her for a moment when she reached the campsite but ignored her, either because he could only sense her vaguely or because he recognized her. Regina carefully stepped closer, up to the big trunk of the tree and looked up. _Ah, there …_ curled up in a blanket was Emma, lying comfortably in what looked almost like a bed made up of a huge branch fork.

Satisfied, Regina nodded to herself and took a few steps back. At the edge of Emma’s camp she stopped and turned back around. Better safe than sorry, she thought. She raised her hands and covered the whole campsite in a protective spell. No mater what, this night Princess Emma and her horse would rest peacefully and safely in the middle of the forest, as safe as they would be back home in the palace.

When her work was done to her satisfaction, Regina walked deeper into the forest before transporting herself home, leaving behind only a plume of purple smoke.

She arrived in front of her cabin and dropped to her knees, exhausted by and exhilarated at doing this much magic, content at the thought that her _White Knight_ — she tried to make it sound sarcastic in her head but couldn’t — was safe for the night. Whatever happened in the morning … well, that was Emma’s quest and adventure.

Regina ate a few bites and downed a cup of cider before crawling up into her loft to sleep. As she lay down in the middle of the bed — happy to have it to herself again, she insisted in her thoughts — she closed her eyes with a sigh.

And realized that no matter how tired she was, she had a hard time falling asleep, her bed suddenly too wide and too cold to be comfortable. She ruminated over the impossibility of her situation for a while until she fell asleep without even realizing it until her body signaled her that it was time to get up again.

 

o—o—o

 

Emma woke up feeling surprisingly well-rested — again — despite the much different circumstances. She stretched and climbed down, giving Galanthus a happy pat on the side, her spirits high. She vaguely remembered dreaming of Regina but there were no details, no matter how much she tried to recall them. Just a general good feeling. With a smile, she fed Galanthus, thanked him for standing guard all night, then had a quick breakfast of nuts and dried fruits from her saddle bag.

When there was nothing left to do — all traces of her presence removed — she walked up to Galanthus and rested her forehead against his side. “I guess it’s time to find that fairy, my friend,” she whispered, before her mind took her to its favorite subject in a heart beat. “I wonder what Regina is doing right now.”

Galanthus neighed softly and nodded his big head. “You like her apples, don’t you?” Emma murmured softly, then cringed at how that sounded in her head. “Let me tell you a secret, boy … I like her too.”

Emma laughed when her horse snorted, although she had no idea if it was in reply to her very obvious comment. “Yeah, yeah, I know.” She grabbed the reins and started to walk away from her temporary campsite. “Let’s remember this, okay? In case we have to find a place to camp somewhere around here again tonight.”

Emma walked for a couple of hours until the sides of the ravine grew steeper and the trees taller. Once again, she had the feeling of being watched, and the closer she got to the trees, the more intense the feeling got. “I think we might be onto something here,” Emma muttered under her breath. “But I wonder if that something is fairy or bandit in nature … or something else entirely …”

 

o—o—o

 

Regina woke up well in time for her to have some breakfast outside her cabin before morphing. She sipped some tea and tried not to wonder about why she’d woken up early and feeling out of sorts. The night had been restless, yes, but that certainly wasn’t a first for her although she’d been sleeping surprisingly well under her curse once she’d trusted her body to wake up on time. 

The only reason why she would have slept badly she could think of was Emma because that was the only thing that had changed in her life recently, and she really didn’t want to delve too deeply into _why_ that might be. She didn’t necessarily believe in lying, especially not to herself … but well, as long as she didn’t examine her feelings too closely, _she didn’t have to_.

Her body began to signal the oncoming change just as she came to this resolution, and she stood with a sigh to have enough room for her bigger unicorn body. As much as she had learned to love her other, curse-induced side, today she really wasn’t in the mood. Today, she wished she could just walk around the forest in daylight, see the trees with her own eyesight, and listen to the wind and the birds and the squirrels with her own ears, no matter how much better her unicorn hearing might be. 

But there was nothing she could do about it, and while she was still thinking about what she could be doing with a day in her own, human body — work on her cabin, maybe create a bedroom downstairs, pick apples when she could actually see them without the light of a torch, and so many other things — her body morphed, just as the sun bathed her in the day’s first rays. She rose onto her hind legs, greeting the day, before heading off into the forest.

Determinedly, she moved in the opposite direction of the ravine, on her own quest to keep her distance from Emma but her thoughts didn’t listen and quickly went the other way, and soon enough Regina felt herself hoping Emma was okay. She did want Emma to be successful — not really for herself but because she found the thought of a disappointed and disillusioned Emma to be somewhat disconcerting — but she also fervently wished the princess wouldn’t show up after her adventure with some man in tow who was supposedly her new true love.

Then again, if she _did_ examine her own feelings regarding a certain recent intruder in her peaceful life a little more closely — which she definitely wasn’t about to do — then she was certain she’d find that _that_ scenario was highly unlikely. 

_So much for not thinking about the princess_ , a voice in her head whispered, and there was a second where she wanted to bang her head against a tree.

 

o—o—o

 

Emma cautiously moved closer to where she thought she was being watched from, trying to be subtle about keeping her eyes and ears open, glad she had learned a few things from Red. She moved as silently as she could but she knew that anyone who’d been watching her from the trees for a while, could follow her with ease.

Which was the only reason she didn’t jump a foot in the air when all of a sudden a woman appeared in front of her as if out of nowhere. Still she inhaled harshly in surprise, barely refraining from raising a princessy hand to her chest to calm her racing heart.

“Hi.” Once the shock had subsided, Emma tried the friendly approach but she was very conscious of the exact position of the sword at her side. 

The woman mustered her from head to toe, so Emma felt free to do the same. She was middle-aged, a bit shorter than herself, with curly blonde hair slowly turning to gray. She was petite, and the clothes she wore were well-maintained but Emma could see that they had been mended many times. No matter who she was, this woman clearly lived in the forest.

“If you want to keep staring, it’ll cost you,” the woman remarked evenly after a few seconds, and Emma’s eyes quickly went back to her face. “Who are you?”

With a shrug, Emma opted for the truth. “Emma.” _Okay, an abridged version of the truth._

“Just Emma?” The woman studied her face. “And what are you doing here this deep in the dark side of the forest?”

Emma hesitated a second but decided to go with the truth again. She was trying to get somewhere on this quest, after all. “I’m looking for someone who I’m hoping lives around here somewhere.”

“Oh?” The woman’s voice was rife with suspicion. “And who might that be?”

“I’m looking for a fairy,” Emma replied easily. “I heard she was seen around here a few years ago.”

“You heard wrong.” The reply was quick, too quick. “There are no fairies around here.”

“How do you know?” Emma challenged.

“I’m the only one around here.” 

The woman’s tone was a mixture of snark and aggressiveness, but underneath Emma thought she also detected something else. “That sounds lonely,” she said without thinking.

“What do _you_ know about loneliness?”

“Not much,” Emma admitted. “But I have a good friend,” — she wondered if that was the right word for Regina — “who’s been living in the forest alone for many, many years.”

“Like me,” the other woman muttered.

“Yes, exactly.” Emma decided to jump right in. “I’m trying to help her,” she said. “I’m trying to find the fairy so I can help my friend.”

“Why do you think a fairy can help your friend?” This time the tone only conveyed curiosity.

“Because that fairy tried to help my friend before,” Emma replied. “Only it didn’t go so well the last time.”

“That is unusual,” the woman muttered. “I really only know of one case …” Her features darkened. “Are you saying that Queen Regina is still alive?!” 

Emma took a step back at the anger in the woman’s voice. “Well, she’s just Regina now,” Emma amended, while wondering if she should have said anything at all. Apparently there was some history there.

“I don’t believe it,” the woman muttered, beginning to pace back and forth in front of Emma as she raged. “This woman! I thought she was dead. _Everyone_ said she was dead, and at least that was some kind of comfort but …” There was some muttering Emma didn’t understand before, “… the last time I tried to help her, I ended up like this, wingless and without magic!”

Emma gasped and the woman stopped abruptly, whirling around as she realized what she had let slip. She immediately turned around again to leave.

“You are—“ Emma began.

“Forget what you just heard!” she called over her shoulder. “I’m just a crazy forest person.”

“—Tinkerbell?”


	6. The fairy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Emma and Tinkerbell talk about soulmates, Emma is bad at lying (to others and herself), and Tinkerbell subtly tries to push Emma into realizing what she really wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so late but work and life and work ... you know how it is. Thank you to all of you who are still reading this. :)

_“—Tinkerbell?”_

The former fairy’s shoulders sagged but she stopped and turned around. “Well, I guess you found me.”

“ _You_ are Tinkerbell?” Emma sputtered. “I mean … the Green Fairy? I actually _found_ you?” 

Tinkerbell rolled her eyes. “Yes, we’ve established that,” she huffed. “You found me, congratulations. I’m not a fairy any longer though, sorry.” She shrugged, her face showing nothing but disinterest. “Which means I won’t be able to help you … even if I wanted to, which I don’t,” she hastened to add. 

Emma didn’t really buy the overly indifferent attitude but she had no idea how to proceed, only knowing that she had to. “You don’t even know what I need your help for,” she pointed out.

Tinkerbell snorted, a sound surprisingly girlish for a middle-aged woman. “Let me guess,” she mocked, pretending to think hard. “You’re coming to the ex-fairy who once found the Evil Queen’s soulmate to help said Evil Queen … what could you possibly want, hmm?”

“Listen,” Emma said with a sigh. “Can we talk about this like the grown-ups we are?”

“Well, one of us obviously is,” Tinkerbell retorted with a grin, pointing at her own middle-aged body. “You, however, seem pretty young to me with your wide-eyed belief in fairies and your urge to help an evil witch.”

“She’s _not_ evil,” Emma growled. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out when you tried to help h—“

“Didn’t work out?!?” Tinkerbell roared, getting right into Emma’s face. “I lost my wings for her! I was banished from the fairies, stripped of my magic! I got—”

“I know … but was that really Regina’s fault?” Emma interrupted, angry at being yelled at. “The way I heard it you lost everything because you went against Blue’s orders not to help Regina.”

Tinkerbell rocked back on her heels as if struck. “Where did you hear that? Did Regina tell you that?”

Emma shook her head. “Regina didn’t really tell me much at all,” she replied. “I heard most of it in the castle when I was a child.” She paused, something niggling at the back of her mind, an old, long-forgotten memory peeking out from behind mountains of rubble. “And I think I heard some of it from the Blue Fairy herself.” 

_Overheard_ , actually, while she was eavesdropping on her parents when she was roaming the castle. She wondered why she only remembered that now. 

“You know Blue?” Tinkerbell sounded both awed and disgusted by the taste of having to say the name but her shrewd eyes watched Emma carefully. “You’ve met her?”

Emma considered her reply. “Yes, I know her,” she finally said. “I grew up in the palace and Blue is one of the queen’s most trusted allies and advisors.” 

Tinkerbell snorted. “Well, those two are a perfect match, I’d have to say.”

“What do you mean?” Emma asked, although after what Regina had told her she already had a fair idea.

“They’re both pretty heartless, yet manage to be seen as the epitome of goodness.” Tinkerbell spoke with the air of someone who had nothing left to lose, so could be open about her opinions. 

Emma considered that she was probably right, both in what she was saying and how she was saying it. She wondered if that might be a way in. “Snow and Blue are the main reason why Regina needs help,” she said, nodding as if she’d only now come to the conclusion. And she did agree with Tinkerbell to a certain degree, especially where the Blue Fairy was concerned, although she still held out hope that her mother was not as bad. Deep down, however, she realized that she had to say goodbye to the image of the good queen her mother had projected all her life. 

Tinkerbell stared at Emma as if to read her intentions. “Knowing what I know of them,” she finally said, “I’m not surprised. I had always assumed they just outright killed Regina and locked her away in a dungeon to let her wither away in darkness.” There was a gleam in her eye that Emma found a little disturbing but it was gone in a second. “What did they do?”

Emma tried not to exhale too obviously but with the relief she felt at Tinkerbell’s sudden interest, it was hard. She quickly told her about Snow making a deal with Rumplestiltskin to curse Regina for all eternity without going into the details of the curse — not without knowing where Tinkerbell stood. She embellishing Blue’s role in all of that for Tinkerbell’s sake, adding how Blue had turned the imp to stone, ending with the statue that still adorned the halls of the palace.

Tinkerbell listened, unsuccessfully trying to keep a passive look on her face. When Emma stopped talking, she didn’t hesitate. “So you decided to come to me to try and find Regina’s true love, so the curse can be broken with a kiss?” She sneered at the thought. “Why didn’t you just go and find Robin Hood?”

Emma snorted. “Because Robin Hood and his actual true love are leading a happy life together in this very forest,” she pointed out as if Tinkerbell didn’t know. “Surely you’ve seen them around? They were already together when your fairy dust sent Regina to that tavern, so something must have pulled it off course.”

“Pixie dust,” Tinkerbell remarked absent-mindedly, her thoughts whirling so obviously Emma thought she could actually see them tumbling behind her eyes. 

“What?”

“It’s called pixie dust,” Tinkerbell said testily.

“Fairy dust, pixie dust, what does it matter?” Emma snarked right back. “You don’t have any lying around anyway, right? Or do you?”

Tinkerbell bristled at Emma’s tone but she didn’t say anything except for a quick, “No.” Then she paused. “I keep thinking about why the pixie dust” — she emphasized the first word like Emma was a three-year old — “didn’t work. And before you add another smart comment, it usually _does_ work, which is why using it is frowned upon so heavily. Too much interference with people’s lives or something like that.”

Emma raised her hands in mock surrender. “I believe you,” she muttered. ”But why didn’t it work for Regina?”

“I’m _still_ thinking,” Tinkerbell murmured as she started to pace in front of Emma. “There must be a reason … there must be …”

Emma turned her own thoughts to the question as well. Why would it not work in Regina’s case when it usually did according to Tinkerbell? What was different that time? What if the dust acted like some kind of prophecy and took past, present, and future into account? Was that even possible? She was just about to voice her question out loud when Tink let out a sound.

“What?” Emma asked, anticipation making her almost breathless. 

“I’m not sure yet, sorry,” Tinkerbell admitted. “I thought I had something but now I’m not sure …” She paused. “Are you _sure_ it’s not Robin Hood and Regina just ignored it?”

“Considering that Lady Marian left her family estate and privilege behind to join him and a group of outlaws and live in the forest?” Emma asked with a half-grin. “No, I don’t think Regina just ignored it.”

“Oh.” Tinkerbell’s face fell. “I guess not.”

Before the fairy could lose herself in her thoughts again, Emma decided to get some more answers. “Can I ask you something about the fai— _pixie_ dust? About how it works?”

Tinkerbell hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Go ahead.”

“How does the dust know who a person’s true love is?”

“First of all, the dust is looking for somebody’s soulmate,” Tinkerbell corrected.

“What’s the difference?” Emma was truly curious. “Everyone always just talked about true love when they told the stories.”

Tinkerbell sighed. “In most cases there is no difference,” she admitted. “For example, Queen Snow and her Prince Charming are both, as far as I know, and so are most other soulmates.” 

Emma nodded in confirmation. That’s what she had always heard as well.

“But in rare cases a soulmate is just that,” Tinkerbell continued. “Somebody who is connected to your soul but it doesn’t necessarily have to be in a romantic way.”

“So a person could have a soulmate _and_ a true love?”

“I have never heard of a case like that,” Tinkerbell said slowly, shaking her head. “I’m not sure how there could be room for a true love if the soul is connected to a soulmate, sorry. But having a soulmate is just as fulfilling, you know.”

“Okay, so we have to assume that Robin Hood is neither Regina’s true love nor her soulmate,” Emma summarized. “But I’m assuming _something_ told the dust to find him over everyone else. Why? How does it work?”

“The dust looks into a person’s soul and tries to find its mate, hence the name,” Tinkerbell explained. “Which means Robin Hood has a number of attributes that responded to the … let’s call it the elements of Regina’s soul.”

Emma considered that but had more questions. “Can the dust’s magic see the future? Like what is going to happen to a person’s soul? So that it can better determine who and what to look for, I mean. Does it take into account that people or their circumstances change?”

“I … don’t know.” Tinkerbell stared into the tree tops as if to divine an answer from the rustling leaves. “I’ve never thought about that, to be honest,” she admitted. After another short pause, she met Emma’s eyes, a sudden spark visible. “You think the dust was confused because of what was waiting in Regina’s future? Of the curse? And maybe her soulmate hadn’t even been born yet?” 

Her grin seemed knowing, confusing Emma. “Maybe? I mean it’s a possibility, isn’t it? Maybe he wasn’t born yet or he was a small child at the time?”

“It doesn’t have to be a man, you know.” The knowing grin on Tinkerbell’s face turned to a scowl. “Tell me, Emma,” she said. “Why do you want to help Regina? Your mother’s mortal enemy?”

“M-my mother?” Emma stammered. When had she become that easy to read?

“Yes, your mother, _Princess_ Emma,” Tinkerbell rolled her eyes. “I may live in the forest but even I know the name of the White princess.”

“There are many girls called Emma!”

“The name is rarer than you may think in our lands, but it doesn’t matter. What really gave you away was the fact that you knew the details of what happened to Regina.”

“I heard that in the palace … among the servants,” Emma’s protest was becoming more feeble. “And when Blue and the queen talked.”

“Emma,” Tinkerbell said more patiently than she’d been the whole time, “the fact alone that Blue allowed you in her presence when she positively detests children is a big sign that you’re not just some servant’s child. Also, no normal person just calls her Blue, not unless you’re quite used to hearing her name spoken as such.” She exhaled slowly. “Besides, it doesn’t matter that you’re the princess out here in the forest, so why not admit it? Oh, wait! Does Regina know who you are?”

“Regina knows,” Emma admitted. “She was surprisingly nice about it.”

“Hmm.” Tinkerbell looked almost disappointed.

“She was.”

“All right, I believe you.” Tinkerbell grinned slyly. “So why do you want to help her? Why do you care about a woman who killed so many people, who tried to kill your parents many, many times?”

Emma wondered what kind of answer Tinkerbell was after because she looked like she was waiting for something specific. “That’s not who she is any longer,” she explained, her voice turning softer as she thought about the woman she already missed dearly even though it had only been a day. She never sawTinkerbell’s smile at her change in tone, the softness in her expression, completely unaware how her body changed when she spoke about Regina. “She’s beautiful and snarky and has so much dignity despite what the curse is doing to her every day. She is resigned to her fate, doesn’t believe she needs help, maybe not even deserves it, and all I want is for her to be free.” 

Tinkerbell watched her quietly. “What is it what you _really_ want, Emma?” she asked quietly. “Have you even given that any thought?”

Emma looked at her as if she were slow. “I _just_ told you I want her to be free, so I have to find the person who can break the curse.” 

Tinkerbell rolled her eyes again, and Emma was getting tired of it. “I know that,” Tinkerbell said, sounding slightly exasperated. “Tell me, have you thought about what’s going to happen should you actually manage to find her true love? How it’s going to be when someone she doesn’t even know kisses her to break her curse … and gets to kiss her for the rest of her life?”

Emma felt nausea rising up in her throat like a tidal wave, powerful and nigh unstoppable. With supreme effort she bit it back enough to say, “She’s going to be happy, that’s all I care about.” 

“You’re not a very good liar, Princess.” Tinkerbell sounded almost tender. “But maybe you’re better at lying to yourself than you are at lying to others.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Emma ground out, confused and still somewhat nauseous, and her denial sounded weak even to herself. “What is it that you think I am trying to do?”

Tinkerbell ignored the question and Emma’s increasing agitation. “It’s getting dark,” she remarked casually. “Why don’t we walk to my humble abode and you can tell me all about that curse over dinner?”

Emma nodded. Maybe that would give her a chance to figure out what Tinkerbell seemed to want her to say. In any case, changing the subject might be a good idea.

“Good then,” Tinkerbell said, smiling widely. “And after dinner you can rest and sleep and think about what you really want to achieve, Emma.” She walked away, expecting Emma to follow. Over her shoulder she added, “And think long and hard about who it is you really want to break the curse.”

Emma groaned as she gathered Galanthus’ reins. Apparently, a change in subject wasn’t in the cards for her, but unbidden her mind started to imagine finding Regina’s true love, and whenever she pictured some random man — or woman — the nausea rose again, almost drowning her in bile. And without fail, the thought of _her_ kissing Regina and breaking the curse made the nausea recede. 

_Hm, maybe Tinkerbell was onto something._

“Are you coming, Princess? Or do I need to carry you?”

Shaking her head, Emma quickened her steps to catch up to the former fairy, deciding to get a head start on telling her about the curse. “So, have you ever seen a black unicorn in the forest?” 

Thinking about her own feelings could damn well wait.


	7. It happened once in a dream (or maybe twice)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things are getting clearer and more dangerous in an entirely unconnected way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and leaving comments. They make me smile and I love them. :)
> 
> A special thanks to evergrove and hot-elf for kicking my butt into gear to finish this chapter. It worked.

Emma blearily opened one eye, sleep still cottoning up her brain, but her muscles were awake enough to grab the foot that was kicking her legs. “What?” she croaked.

Tinkerbell grinned as she easily tugged her foot from Emma’s grasp. “I know you’re a princess,” she drawled, “but just how long do they usually let you sleep in that white palace of yours?”

“Not my palace,” Emma muttered immediately. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “What’s the rush?”

“Oh, nothing,” Tinkerbell said with an unrepentant shrug. “Just wanted to see if a good night’s sleep after some enlightening conversation and delightful company may have gotten your brain cells working a bit better.” She giggled at the slightly offended look on Emma’s face. “Don’t look at me like that! You obviously need all the help you can get as clueless as you are about yourself.”

“Hey! I know myself well enough, thank you.”

Tinkerbell snorted, then muttered something under her breath.

“What?” Emma asked, thinking she might have caught Regina’s name in there.

“I said you’re just as bad as _she_ was,” Tinkerbell replied with a sigh. “Or — knowing her — most probably still _is_.”

“Her … you mean Regina?”

Tinkerbell groaned and tossed her hands in the air, then turned to go. “I give up,” she threw over her shoulder as she climbed down to another level of her elaborate tree house, still muttering under her breath.

The thing was, Emma mused as she got up and stretched her body after a night on the thin pallet, that her evening with the former fairy and her incessant hinting — ranging from exasperated to downright insulting — _had_ made her think. In fact, Emma hadn’t done much of anything else all evening and deep into the night until she fell into an exhausted sleep, and even then her dreams had been of Regina.

“She’s right,” Emma told the tree that made up the center of the tree house. “I want it to be me.” She had to laugh at herself. After the dreams she had had, it now seemed so obvious when before it had only been a vague feeling of longing, of yearning, of wanting to be the one to help Regina. But now? Now she burned for the woman, so much so that Emma felt the heat rise in her cheeks when she thought of the things she had done to Regina in her dream, not to mention the things Regina had done to her, some of which she had never considered before, be it in dreams or in real life.

It wasn’t so much that Emma was completely inexperienced but she’d never really been all that interested in any of the nobles her mother had tried to foist on her to make a good, valuable connection for their kingdom. For being one half of a well-known true love couple, her mother had been surprisingly uninterested in Emma finding the same for herself. For Queen Snow Emma seemed to be a convenient tool to strengthen her kingdom but Emma had always rebelled at the very thought, and her father had been much more lenient and indulging of her huge independent streak.

Still, all of that had never exactly made Emma seek out the company of men, apart from some youthful fumbling with a young member of her mother’s guard, and an ill-advised and completely forgettable week with a stranded pirate, which had mostly been to assert her independence and to indulge her wild streak. Her father had just shaken his head at the company she had kept, and her mother had a fit but ultimately, Emma remained relatively inexperienced where men were concerned.

Not to mention women.

But Regina? She _wanted_ Regina, wanted her heart, her love, her body, and give her all those things in return and more. Her mind flashed back to her dream, to the feeling of their two bodies entwined, writhing together, their naked skin flushed and hot and slick with sweat and arousal, their mouths fused together in heated kisses, hands exploring everything everywhere, arousing, edging, arousing, releasing, soothing before starting the cycle anew. The noises they both made at the pleasures given and received. The feeling when she made Regina come undone, the orgasms she herself had experienced.

_Dream. It was only a dream._

Emma swallowed hard at the remembered feelings, realizing that her body reacted hotly, desire rising from the pit of her stomach again. If Regina were here, Emma knew she’d have a hard time not throwing her onto the pallet to reenact every little thing from her dream, to take and be taken, to give and be given to in return.

_Dream. Only a dream_ , Emma reminded herself, a disappointed sigh escaping her lips. She’d definitely have to remember that when she saw Regina again. But … 

… but if Regina ever allowed her to touch her … well, Emma could only hope that it would feel even half as amazing as her dream had, although she didn’t really have any doubt. 

The only thing she doubted was that it would ever actually come to that because Regina was amazing and wonderful and a queen, even if a deposed and exiled one, and Emma was just … 

“Emma?!” Tinkerbell yelled up. “If you want tea, get down here! What do you think this is? The Green Fairy Inn?”

Emma rolled her eyes but closed her jerkin over her linen shirt to join the former fairy.

 

o—o—o

 

Regina groaned deep in her throat as another orgasm ripped through her body at the same moment the impending sunrise tore her from her sleep. Instinctively, Regina reached for her lover to prolong the feeling but her hands only met her own heated, wet flesh. She pressed her fingers against herself achieving another, smaller peak before slumping back against her pillow with a murmured, “Emma”, not yet fully awake.

Regina had had dreams before, even erotic dreams but this … _this_ had felt more real than any dream she’d ever experienced, and the aftershocks running through her body were a definite indicator for that as well. The question was why now? Why was she dreaming about Emma like _this_? About the princess who had stumbled into her life only a few days ago? What on earth was going on? Regina knew she was attracted to Emma and found her far less annoying than she pretended but she had already decided to ignore her feelings. Hadn’t she?

She didn’t have much time to linger on her dream and she forced herself to wake up, her body driving her out of bed on shaky legs. She forewent breakfast and stumbled straight outside to wait for her body to morph, her mind and feelings in a turmoil, arousal still running through her veins like lava. Regina took slow measured breaths to calm her racing heart, knowing she had to get her feelings under control before she morphed and her animal instincts increased the urge to race through the forest to find Emma. That was the last thing she needed right now when the princess was off on her quest to find Regina’s true love.

It was so ridiculous a quest, especially in the pale morning light after her dream, that Regina almost laughed but the sound came out choked. One thing had become very, very clear during the night, Regina thought as she felt her body begin to change: apparently she was far more attracted to Emma than she had dared to admit, and ignoring her feelings wasn’t helping. At all.

Change complete, the black unicorn shook its head, greeted the sun, and ran off into the forest, following an unseen trail.

 

o—o—o

 

Emma sipped the fragrant tea and nibbled on the nutty bread with a content smile. Tinkerbell watched her with an unreadable expression, part curiosity, part exasperation until Emma had enough. “What?”

“What _what_?” Tinkerbell asked, grinning now, a little too smugly for Emma’s taste. 

“What’s going on in that head of yours, Tink?”

The fairy raised an eyebrow at the nickname but let it slide. “Ah, nothing much,” she replied airily. “You know me …”

“I don’t really,” Emma pointed out. 

“Hmm, true.” Silence settled over them again, inexplicably comfortable and enjoyable. Then Tink’s mouth slowly formed a knowing smile. “Did you sleep well?”

Emma blinked at the non sequitur. “Yeah, I did in fact.” She remembered her manners. “Thank you for letting me stay.”

Tink brushed the words away with a flick of her wrist. “I found your company quite … entertaining.”

Emma chuckled. “You mean you enjoyed poking and prodding me to _help me realize what I really want_?” 

“Absolutely,” Tink agreed happily. “Did it help?” She saw the expression on Emma’s face. “Oh, it so did.”

“Yes, okay,” Emma admitted. “I did think about what I want.” _All evening, all night._

“Good.” Tink looked satisfied but there was a twinkle in her eyes that Emma didn’t recognize for the warning it probably should have been. “So, Emma … any _interesting_ dreams last night?”

The way Tink drawled the question, tasting the words, told Emma everything she hadn’t known she needed an answer to. Anger suddenly burned through her, replacing the mellow afterglow of the dream that had still lingered. “That was you!?” she roared, jumping up. “Was that some kind of joke? Let’s mess with the stupid princess? How did you even … I thought you were stripped of magic?”

Tink remained annoyingly calm in the face of Emma’s outburst. “Relax, Emma,” she soothed. “Sit back down and take a breath.” She waited a few seconds but Emma simply stood over her, hands on her hips, snarl on her face. “Suit yourself.”

Tink sipped her tea, taking her time. “There was no magic,” she explained after a long pause. “And before you ask, I have no idea what you dreamed because I didn’t _create_ your dream or the things you did in it, so _please_ calm down. I only wanted to help.” 

The look she gave Emma was open and there was no lie in it. If Tink wasn’t telling the truth, she had to be an extremely accomplished liar. Emma sat back down with a huff, feeling vulnerable and exposed, not to mention disappointed that her dream might have just been leading her astray. “What exactly did you do?”

“It was the tea last night,” Tink explained, holding up her wooden mug.

“The one after dinner? The bitter one?” Emma asked. “That was disgusting, by the way. What the hell did you put in that?”

Tink nodded. “It’s a plant that grows in the dark forest. It has … certain properties.”

“What properties?”

“As you no doubt realize now it makes people dream,” Tink began to explain.

“Those weren’t normal dreams, Tink.”

“They weren’t supposed to be. The dreams the plant evokes show the dreamer their deepest desire,” Tink said. “It’s very helpful when people are not sure about what they want and like I said—“

“You thought I needed all the help I could get,” Emma finished the sentence for her, calmer now. “So what you’re saying is that the dream showed me what I really want deep down inside?”

Tink nodded again. “It shows you things you want deep in your soul, things you might not even be consciously aware of.” She smiled sadly. “When I drink it, I spend the dream flying this way and that, helping children all over the realm.” She shrugged. “But that’s not really a surprise, is it?”

“Mine showed me with Regina,” Emma muttered.

Tink decided to take pity on her and not ask about details given the blush that had risen on Emma’s cheeks. “So it did actually help?” And for the first time insecurity crept into her voice.

Emma looked at her for a long moment, face stern and closed off, before finally relaxing into a tiny smile. “It did,” she conceded. “But a little warning would have been nice.”

Tinkerbell grinned, once more unrepentant. “Maybe next time.”

Emma tossed her napkin at the former fairy’s face. “The problem is that I now know what I want … but I have no idea if that’s what Regina wants too,” she voiced the issue she’d been trying to deal with since waking up. “Which means I’m no closer to finding her true love and a way to break her curse …”

“I know,” Tink replied. “And you won’t know until you try, I’m afraid.” She paused. “But it’s possible — and it really just a _tiny_ chance—“

“What?” Emma felt suddenly breathless at the look on Tink’s face. 

“ _If_ you’re her true love … _if_ you two are connected like that, there’s a chance that Regina might have had some interesting dreams last night as well.”

Emma’s eyes were wide. “You mean she could have shared my dream?”

“That must have been some interesting dream …” Tink chuckled at the look and color on Emma’s face. “But essentially yes, that’s possible. Or she could have had a similar dream revealing her own heart’s desire.” 

“So she could have dreamed about Robin Hood or somebody else?” Emma scowled.

“No.” Tinkerbell rolled her eyes. “Remember that I said this would only happen if you two were connected at some very deep level? If you were her true love? The only person she would be dreaming about would be you, Emma.”

Emma visibly relaxed. “So all I need to figure out now is if she dreamed about me last night?”

“Well, that … and if she is going to take the risk this time.”

“Yeah.”

After a few minutes of companionable silence, Tink noticed that Emma was beginning to fidget. “It’s alright, Emma,” she said with a smile. “I won’t make you hang around here when all you want is to return to Regina.”

“Oh, I wasn’t … I didn’t …”

“Yes, you were and you did, and that’s all right.” Tink stood and stretched out the kinks in her knees. She was getting too old to be sitting in one position for so long. “Just promise me you’ll come back one day to let me know what happened, okay?”

“I promise.” Emma stood much more gracefully but she felt torn. She yearned to return to Regina and find out if her deepest desires were shared, but she had also enjoyed Tinkerbell’s company a lot, apart from the incessant nagging,and felt a fond gratitude for the former fairy.

Tink read the indecision easily. “You should probably leave soon,” she suggested. “I have things I need to be doing that don’t include sitting around all day talking to lost princesses.”

“Yes, I guess I should.” Emma pulled the unsuspecting former fairy into a hug. “Thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome.” Tink hugged her back for a moment. “Tell Regina I forgive her.”

Emma nodded and stepped back, her mind already racing ahead towards the woman she now knew she loved. “Farewell, Tink,” she whispered. “See you soon.”

With a smile Tinkerbell watched Emma climb down the ladder until she hit the ground, then kept watching as she saddled that big white horse of hers and led him away until they were lost among the trees. “Good luck, Princess.”

 

o—o—o

 

Regina moved through the forest in a light run, following the path her instincts were showing her. At midday she stopped for some grass and some water by a small brook, which helped to orient herself in the huge forest. Her ears stayed open and alert to every sound around her, and it was only because of that that she had just enough time to move into a dense copse of trees to avoid Marian and a few of her merry outlaws. 

When she was certain the men and women were out of earshot, she moved on swiftly, sticking to a more hidden path but always, always moving where her instincts pulled her.

It was the middle of the afternoon when she came to the road that bisected the forest and spotted what she had been moving towards. She raised up on her hind legs in greeting, and winced when Galanthus did the same, almost throwing Emma off his broad back. If Emma’s broad smile was an indication, however, she didn’t seem to mind.

“Regina!” Emma called out, unmistakeable joy in her voice. 

There seemed to be something different about her, Regina thought, and wondered what had happened over the course of one night to turn the princess into this woman that seemed both more determined and more free now. Whatever it was, it looked good on Emma, not that she needed to look any better or any more appealing where Regina was concerned.

Regina snorted, shaking her big head. Stupid animal with its stupid feelings and instincts so close to the surface, she admonished her unicorn form. It was a good thing she couldn’t speak in this form or who knew what she would be blurting out!

“It’s so good to see you,” Emma said warmly.

_You’d say something exactly like that probably_ , Regina thought. She nodded her head instead.

“I was on my way back to you,” Emma continued as she dismounted. “I found Tinkerbell, and we have a lot talk about, you and I.”

_Talk?_ Before Regina could consider if that was a good thing or an ominous threat, two things happened simultaneously. From the south, a large group of Queen Snow’s hunters galloped up, coming closer at an alarming pace while from the north a contingent of the queen’s guards approached, pulling their swords when they spotted the princess standing in front of the large black animal.

Regina and Emma wildly looked from one group to the other, torn between their fight or flight instincts. How could they have missed this? How could they have been so focused on each other as to not hear a multitude of riders approaching? Incensed, Regina reared up ready to fight but Emma shook her head immediately, afraid for her. 

The hunters were now close enough for Emma to see the snarl on Red’s face and the way Granny’s crossbow was gleaming in the sunlight. Emma assumed that Regina wasn’t able to access her magic in her unicorn form, and Emma’s only thought was to save her from the people who were hunting her. 

“Run!” she urged just loud enough for Regina to hear her. “Please get away from here!”

The massive head shook as Regina neighed in protest. 

“You _have_ to!” Emma insisted. “They’ll kill you, if you don’t!” Her eyes went from one group to the other, her eyes meeting first Red’s, then Graham’s on the other side. “Please go. I’ll stall them, and I promise I’ll find you! Go now before they surround us!”

Regina’s eyes were wide and sad, and Emma could have sworn she could read every last thought in them. Regina was ready to fight and die by Emma’s side, but that was the last thing they both needed. “Please run and save yourself,” Emma cried, tears spilling from her eyes. “I need you to live!”

Emma shoved Regina’s large body, trying to push her physically into the forest, and finally Regina listened. She turned away from Emma with one last look and galloped into the forest, hunters hot on her tail.

 

o—o—o

 

For a second Emma thought about following Regina but she wanted to give her the best chance possible, so she remained where she was, knowing it would at least reduce the number of people chasing after Regina.

“Princess Emma,” Graham greeted her, the look on his face a little less respectful than should have been her due.

“Graham. What a surprise seeing you this deep in the forest.” Emma couldn’t force a smile onto her face even though she tried. From the corner of her eyes she could see that half of the hunters had indeed stayed on the road with her, just as she had hoped. A quick scan of the group now surrounding her showed that Granny was among the ones chasing Regina, and Emma hoped fiercely that her aim was off today.

“Your mother has been missing you these past few days,” Graham said, pulling Emma’s focus again. 

Emma laughed, a bitter sound. “Yeah, right.” 

Graham’s mouth twitched but he remained serious. 

“What were you thinking, Emma?” Red’s voice came from behind her. “Running away like that?”

“What are you talking about?” Emma asked innocently. “I was just out for a ride for a few days. I needed to get away for a bit, feel the forest, you know? It’s not the first time that happened, so what’s the problem now?”

Red watched her but Emma could see that she wasn’t certain what to make of Emma’s reply. And since Red didn’t know about Emma knowing about Regina, the hunter’s position was far more difficult than Emma’s. 

“Apparently the problem is that your mother didn’t approve of it this time,” Graham replied laconically. “Come with us now, we’ll escort you home.”

At the word, Emma instinctively turned to where Regina had disappeared. 

“Don’t worry about that … unicorn,” Red said. “The hunters will take care of it.”

“Why?” Again Emma tried innocence. “It’s a beautiful, unique creature and it didn’t do anything wrong. It simply exists.”

Red couldn’t meet her eyes. “Your mother doesn’t want it to exist any longer,” she finally said. “There’s a law against black unicorns.”

“You’re still a very bad liar, Red,” Emma said but turned to get back on her horse. Galanthus whinnied softly, his breath ruffling Emma’s hair. “I know, I hope she’s okay too,” Emma whispered into his ear before patting his neck and climbing onto his back for the ride back to the palace.

The group moved down the road, Emma’s belly churning in anger and worry as Red and Graham flanked her in a blatant show of distrust. There was no way she could escape now, so she resigned herself to having to find a way to get away from the palace again later.

None of them saw the eyes watching them from the trees.

 

o—o—o

 

Regina ran as fast as she could, hearing and feeling the hunters following her but not really gaining on her. She felt the breeze of arrows flying past her, some more closely than others but she just kept on running, knowing it was her only chance. She had to get out of this alive, for Emma and for what might be a possibility of something, and frankly because Emma told her to.

She hadn’t run this hard and this long in a long, long time and her legs let her know they were getting tired. _Just a little longer, just a little further into the forest_ , she urged her own body to not give up now. The arrows whizzing past her were getting fewer but some of them were getting very close until finally, a crossbow bolt grazed her flank, leaving a burning trail of pain behind that made her stumble for just a second before her stride picked up again. She’d have to get home and wait to change back so she could take care of that.

With that added incentive, her body gained another burst of speed that allowed her to get around a bend in the path she was on and then straight into a group of denser trees. The surroundings were getting very familiar now, and Regina knew she only had to hold out a few more minutes at full speed until she was safe but she was worried she’d give away her sanctuary in the forest if she went straight home, so she decided to take the risk to take a longer, more winding path, hoping she’d make it somehow.

Suddenly, more arrows were flying past her and above her head but they were coming from the other direction, aimed at the hunters. She looked around wildly as she ran, wondering what was going on until her eyes caught sight of Marian and her group that she had avoided earlier that day. She slowed, wondering what was going on, but didn’t stop fully.

Marian met her eyes with a tense smile. “Keep on running, beautiful,” she said. “We’ll buy you some time.” With that she turned back to the forest and the path and the coming hunters.

With a feeling of intense gratitude, Regina took a deep breath and continued to run.


	8. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina deals with her wounds while Emma deals with her mother. Who has it worse?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter wasn't really planned but Regina and Emma disagreed with me, so here we are.

Regina stumbled through the magic barrier and immediately slowed down, her heartbeat louder in her ears than her hooves on the narrow, winding forest path she had chosen to return home. She slowed to a stop and turned around to check if any of the hunters had come close enough to see her vanish.

She waited several minutes but nothing moved in the forest apart from the wind rustling the leaves and the odd squirrel or two. The sun was beginning to sink lower in the west and Regina slowly walked back to her cabin, sinking down to the ground just outside the door. Breathing heavily, she moved her head to check the wound in her flank but all she could see was a long gash, bright red among the dark matted fur. But she had no trouble feeling it, and the way the gash burned and left a trail of fire in her veins didn’t bode too well. She couldn’t be absolutely sure without being able to see but it felt like this was more than just a mere graze by a crossbow bolt and she wondered if Granny and the rest of Snow White’s hunters had begun to resort to using poison on their weapons. She wouldn’t put it past Snow but it did seem out of character for the old werewolf.

Exhausted and weakened, she lay on her side to wait for the sun to set and her body to revert back to its human state. She hoped she wasn’t too exhausted to access her magic, and she was incredibly grateful that it had returned when Emma had entered her life. 

_Emma._ Regina wondered what would happen now. Would Snow go as far as to lock her daughter away? Knowing Emma she’d try to run again at the first feasible opportunity, and Regina was certain Snow knew her daughter just as well, and if not her then Emma’s servants or the guards would, and they always knew who they ultimately served.

Regina felt an almost painful urge to get up and head for the palace to find Emma but she knew that she wouldn’t even get close to the princess, especially not in her current condition. And even if by some miracle she’d make it that far and she managed to get to Emma, they probably wouldn’t make it out of the palace alive. 

Or at least _she_ wouldn’t, Regina mused. Snow _might_ hold back from having her own daughter killed.

For a wild moment that seemed a fair price to pay for Emma’s freedom, which was exactly the moment Regina realized just how far her feelings for Emma had developed — or how little she valued her own life. Given the fact that she couldn’t wait to heal her wounds, she was not going to bet on the latter.

What had that damn princess done to her? How did she manage to turn her into some unrecognizable person, some woman who would risk life and limb to save someone else? Someone she hadn’t even known for a week? _Gods, she was pathetic. Weak and pathetic_ , the voice inside her head added, sounding suspiciously like her mother, _foolish to believe in love. Haven’t you learned your lesson?_

Regina snorted, the sound coming out as a low neighing that stirred up some loose dust, causing her nose to itch. _That’s what you get for letting Cora into your thoughts, she admonished herself. Get a grip! Heal yourself, then start thinking and planning._ Decision made, she closed her eyes to rest.

She didn’t have to wait long for the sun to set and her body to morph back into its smaller and far more fragile form. The change back was never pleasant — she could feel her bones and muscles and tendons shrinking and moving and trying to compress into a smaller frame — but with her injury it was incredibly painful this time. She bit back a scream but couldn’t hold back a loud groan that echoed around her, and she was inordinately glad she was already lying down. She raised her head to look at her side and when she caught sight of the ugly, ragged gash bleeding profusely through her clothes over her hip and thigh, no doubt aggravated by the change, she realized she wouldn’t be getting up any time soon. 

When she carefully pulled up the linen shift revealing the wound on her hip, she spotted dark threads moving slowly through her body, radiating outward from the edges of the gash. _So it was poison._ She knew she needed to take care of that as soon as possible but even as she had the thought, her field of vision dimmed at the edges.

_Well_ , _that’s not good,_ she thought darkly as she blacked out. _At all._

 

o—o—o

 

By the time Red and Graham made her dismount in the palace courtyard Emma had almost chewed through her cheek and bottom lip with worry about Regina. That worry was compounded by the way Galanthus was dragged away unceremoniously by a stable hand she had never seen without giving Emma a chance to at least give him a treat or even a simple pat for the patience and calm service he had shown her over the past few days in the forest. It seemed as if she didn’t just have to worry about Regina.

If her horse was being treated this way — and her beautiful steed was still complaining loudly about being separated from his mistress — no, this time her worry extended to Galanthus and even herself. 

“Let me go and calm him down?” Emma asked Red, her voice subdued. “He’s not just going to come quietly, and he might injure himself or someone else.”

“If he does, he’ll be put—“

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Graham,” Emma snarled, whirling to face him. “Are you forgetting who you’re talking to?! My horse has done nothing wrong! Oh, and by the way, neither have I.” She turned back to her godmother. “I’m here now, all right? So please let me make sure my horse is taken care of. Let me go to the stables with him. Whatever my mother wants can wait a few more minutes.”

Red exchanged a long look with Graham, then finally nodded with a worried glance towards the castle. “Make it quick, Emma,” she warned. “Snow is not in a patient mood these days.” She heaved a long sigh. “And before you get any ideas, I’ll be coming with you.”

“I didn’t expect anything less.” 

They quickly made their way in the direction of the stables where Galanthus could be heard whinnying and neighing for all he was worth, rearing up and trying to get away from the small stable hand who had a hard time holding onto the reins. He only calmed down when he sensed his mistress in the vicinity. 

“Shhh, boy,” Emma said soothingly. “It’s going to be all right.” She turned to the stable hand who looked to be a boy of no more than eleven or twelve. She shook her head. Whose idea was it to entrust her huge horse to a boy that young? “Give me the reins, kid.”

The boy immediately pushed the reins into her hands with a grin. “Gladly, Your Highness.”

Emma smiled at his eagerness. “Call me Emma. What’s your name?” 

“H-Henry, Your Highness,” he replied with a glance in Red’s direction, knowing better than to call Emma anything but by her title in the hunter’s presence. Then he turned to walk away quickly.

“Hey, wait!” Emma called out.

Henry stopped in his tracks. “Y-yes?”

“Listen, if I were to show you what Galanthus likes and doesn’t like and if I were to calm him down a bit more, do you think you could take care of him for me for a bit?” Emma tried to make the request sound normal, casual even, despite her insides churning at the uncertainty of what was going to happen to her. The least she could do was make sure her horse was taken care of — and that she knew exactly where he was if … _when_ she needed him.

“Certainly,” Henry replied sounding half eager, half scared to death. 

“Well, come on then.” Emma began leading Galanthus towards the stables, Henry a respectful two steps behind her, and Red bringing up the rear. 

“Make it quick,” Red reminded her once again. 

“Don’t worry, Red, we will.” Emma knew she was trying to avoid her mother as long as she possible could on top of caring for her horse but it was clear that she could only drag out the inevitable for so long. “Won’t we, Henry?” When he nodded, she added, “Why don’t you go and grab a nice brush and some treats for your new friend?”

As soon as he was around a corner, Emma gazed at Red. “Are you still not going to tell me what horrible crimes I’m supposed to have committed for my mother to send her best trackers _and_ the royal guards after me?”

“We weren’t all out for you.” Red defended her queen’s actions but actually looked uncomfortable doing so. “Emma, that animal you saw a few days ago … the black unicorn …”

Emma waited patiently, unwilling to give away that she knew about Regina. 

“That was the same animal we were out hunting for the past few days,” Red continued. “The same one you were with today … on the road.”

“So? It’s just a unicorn. Aren’t they supposed to be good things? Why are you trying to kill a magical creature?”

“This one definitely isn’t good,” Red growled. “Sh— It isn’t what you think it is, Emma, and your mother was just worried about you. The black unicorn is … very bad news,” she finished lamely.

“Worried?” Emma couldn’t stop the disbelief dripping from her tone. “Red, I’ve spent time in the forest before and she’s never sent guards after me.”

“She has her reasons,” Red muttered. “She made plans for you to—“

“Of course she has a reason, she always does,” Emma hissed as she heard light footsteps coming closer. “Hey, Henry, let me show you how Galanthus likes to be brushed, all right?”

Emma showed Henry how to take care of the horse that was docile and happy with his mistress around. When Red was distracted by something in the courtyard, Emma nudged Henry’s shoulder. “You think you can manage taking care of him for me?” When he nodded, she lowered her voice. “And make sure that he can be saddled and ready to run should I need him at a moment’s notice?”

Henry’s eyes went from Emma to Red and back again with a knowing look, and Emma wondered how much he had heard around the stables and courtyard, or the servants’ quarters — and what her mother had in store for her if it had made the rounds all over the palace. Henry’s smile was small and quickly gone again but sincere. “He’ll be ready, Your— … Emma.”

“You’re a fine young man, Henry.” Emma patted his shoulder with as much of a smile as she could muster. “I’m trusting you with him.” 

She patted Galanthus’ neck and pressed her forehead against his jaw for a second while taking a fortifying breath, dreading the meeting with her mother. “Be good for Henry,” she whispered. “Everything’s going to be all right. Somehow. We just have to believe in that.”

Then she turned and joined Red who was close to vibrating with frustrated impatience.

 

o—o—o

 

Regina woke up to the complete and utter darkness only a forest at night could have. The sun had long since completely vanished and the moon was nowhere to be seen, and neither were there stars. _Of course,_ was Regina’s first thought, _I had to lose consciousness on the one night when I can’t even begin to tell how much time has passed …_

She struggled to sit up, then get on her knees before deciding that since nobody was here to see her crawling would just have to do. She made her way into the cabin, glad beyond belief that she’d had the foresight to run all the way back here in her stronger unicorn form. Inside, she flicked her wrist to light a fire in the fireplace — both for warmth and light and to see if her magic was still there — and was relieved when flames immediately sprang to life.

She put on some water for tea, then shrugged out of the bloodstained shift she had appeared in after morphing back. She smiled when she wondered what Emma would have said if she’d seen her morph back the first few days of the curse when she hadn’t yet managed the feat of returning to her human form with something more than her skin covering her. Nowadays she could influence to a certain degree what she was returning to, but the easiest way was to just come back to what she’d worn when she morphed in the morning, which she’d done today.

Another flick of her wrist conjured a hand mirror she used to study her wound, which didn’t look any better up close. The gash itself was ragged but not too deep and the blood had clotted while she was unconscious so that only a trickle remained. What was more worrying was the steadily growing web of dark strands surrounding it, and even if she hadn’t been able to see it, Regina could _feel_ the poison moving through her system. 

For once Regina wished she’d still have access to other magic practitioners because healing magic … well, that had never been her strong suit. Oh, she could probably heal that gash just fine but removing the poison from her system would need a good dose of light magic, which she simply didn’t possess. It had never mattered, and Rumple certainly hadn’t been interested in teaching her. Tinkerbell had offered and had even shown her some things but their friendship had ended too soon, and Regina wasn’t even sure she could remember anything the fairy had told her. 

_No matter_ , Regina thought. _Just do what you can and hope for the best._

She gritted her teeth as she closed her eyes and called on her magic, focusing on healing her side, on removing the darkness crawling through her body like sludge. Unbidden, Emma’s face appeared before her mind’s eye, pulling her focus but surprisingly Regina didn’t feel distracted by it, and neither was her magic. In fact, she mused with her eyes still closed, Emma’s presence in her mind seemed to help rather than hinder the process, so she allowed herself to look into Emma’s eyes as her magic worked, seeing them as clearly in her mind as if the princess was standing right here with her. 

She had no idea how much time had passed when she noticed that her hands and side were growing almost unbearably hot, and while some warmth was to expected during healing magic, this kind of heat was unusual. With a sense of sadness at having to let go of the Emma in her mind, Regina opened her eyes and gasped at what she was seeing. Her hands were glowing a bright red instead of her usual purple, and the same magic was covering her side as well. It didn’t hurt, so she wasn’t worried but rather bemused and fascinated. 

Somehow her magic had changed, at least for this healing process, and when she let it peter out and removed her hand from her side, she was amazed to see that no sign of the wound or the poison remained. Every last trace was gone. Regina slumped heavily into the closest chair, inhaling sharply, then exhaling slowly. She was going to survive this, which meant she had a chance to come up with a plan to save Emma if she had to. 

_Emma. Everything came back to Emma._

Emma who never even noticed the magic barrier she should never have been able to cross.

Emma whose sudden appearance had kickstarted her magic.

Emma who made her feel things she hadn’t felt in too many decades.

Emma who gave herself up to her mother’s guards to save her.

Emma who appeared in her mind when she needed to heal herself.

_Emma Emma Emma._ It wasn’t too far of a leap to assume that Emma was also responsible for her change in magic, Regina mused, smiling without noticing it. She even wouldn’t put it past her to actually be able to break Regina’s curse, and damn it all to hell … for the first time in too many years to count, Regina actually wanted that to happen.

She wanted to be free and she wanted Emma.

 

o—o—o

 

Emma walked into her mother’s throne room with an air of nonchalance and bravado she didn’t feel. Her mind was on Regina, and she hoped the other woman was back at her cabin safe and sound, against all odds. 

The throne room was vast and quite empty at this time of day with court business long since done. Emma’s leather boots scuffed along the stone steps, the sound drowned out by the guards’ heavier boots but the queen didn’t look up from the parchment in her hand. She was sitting on her throne on a dais at the end of the room under huge windows, a position Emma’s grandfather had come up with. It placed him above everyone else in the room and made the courtiers have to squint when they looked at him, their eyes burning from the sun they were forced to stare into during main court hours. Emma was glad it was evening and the sun had already set. 

_Sunset._ A word that had suddenly gotten a new and much more important meaning for Emma as it was so connected with Regina and her curse. She sent another thought into the woods, another fervent wish to any and all deities and forest sprites she could think of to protect Regina, and then she was standing in front of her mother. 

“Ah, Emma, there you are,” Snow greeted her daughter as if she’d only been late for dinner. 

“Mother.” Emma returned the greeting evenly, trying and failing to smile. She wished her father was there to provide an encouraging smile or a pat on the shoulder, or simply a buffer between her and her mother. When Snow didn’t continue, Emma couldn’t take the silence for long. “Would you mind telling me what this is all about? Why would you send your guards after me like some common criminal?”

Snow slowly put down the parchment and focused at Emma. “You know what this is about, so don’t play coy.”

“No, Mother, I honestly have no idea.” Emma was glad Snow didn’t share her ability to tell lies.

In the span of a second Snow lost her indifferent facade and revealed her anger. “You disappeared into the forest without my permission,” she roared, causing Emma to take an involuntary step back. “And I think you _know_ you weren’t supposed to do that because you snuck out in the middle of the night!”

Emma felt like a little girl again, caught sneaking cookies out of the kitchen. “I just … I wanted to spend a few days riding and enjoying the lovely weather,” she tried. “I’ve done that lots of times before and it’s never been a problem.”

“Oh, it’s always been a problem _for me_ ,” Snow retorted. “You should attend court and prepare for your own reign, should do your duty to me and the kingdom, but you’ve always been irresponsible. And your father always was too lenient and decided to let you have your freedom, and now you don’t know how you should behave as a princess and the royal heir.”

“I always enjoyed my freedom.” _What little there was of it._

“Tell me, Emma …” Snow’s voice gentled a little, which Emma recognized at her wanting _something_. “Did you go after that black unicorn you said you saw a few days ago? Did your curiosity draw you into the forest?”

“I didn’t go after it, no,” Emma lied easily. “After all, wasn’t it you who said black unicorns don’t exist when you heard about it? Imagine my surprise when I did run into it again today, just as the guards and the hunters found me on the road.”

Snow didn’t look surprised at all, so Graham had probably told her already. “At least you’re not lying about that,” she remarked. “So you didn’t go looking for it?”

“No, I didn’t,” Emma continued the lie. “Why would I?” _Come on, show your hand, mother._

“Because she …” Snow stopped herself, then started again. “Because you always seem to do things you shouldn’t be doing, no matter what I say.”

_Well, that much was true._ “What’s going to happen to the unicorn, Mother?” Emma dared to ask.

“It will be killed,” Snow replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. “It’s an abomination and shouldn’t even exist, so the hunters will make sure—“

She was interrupted by the arrival of Granny and some of the hunters that had gone after Regina. The grim smile on Granny’s face made Emma’s heart stop.

“Your Majesty.” Granny bowed her head the tiniest amount.

“Is it done?” Emma hated how eager her mother sounded, how her eyes glinted with malice. “Did you kill her?” Emma was certain that her mother never even noticed her slip of the tongue. 

“As good as,” Granny replied with a side look at Emma. So at least she noticed the queen’s mistake. “We couldn’t manage a clear shot among the trees and then we were ambushed by those damned outlaws while we were in pursuit but—”

“Outlaws?! Hood?” Snow interrupted with a growl. “They’ve never interfered with us before. Why now?”

Emma’s heart galloped in her chest. Marian — and she was sure it had been her — had helped Regina escape, even though she had no idea who the unicorn really was. But if Regina escaped, why did Granny say she was as good as dead?

Apparently, her mother had the same question. “So how can you know—“

“I hit the beast with one of my bolts,” Granny said impatiently. “It may have only been a scratch on its flank but it was with one of the new, special bolts.”

At that, Snow’s face broke out into a wide smile. “Oh, that is good news. Thank you, Granny.”

“Special bolts?” Emma blurted. “What are you talking about?”

Granny looked uncomfortable and almost regretful but Snow saved her from having to explain. “These bolts are poisoned,” the queen crowed gleefully. “Which means not only will the beast die but it will be a slow and painful death.”

Emma swallowed hard, trying to keep the bile down that was rising like acid in her throat. “You used poison?” she gasped at Granny.

Granny shook her head and Emma could see regret in her eyes. “Not my idea,” she mouthed, her eyes moving to their queen. 

Emma felt dead inside, all life gone from her eyes, her heart broken. Red noticed and gave her a questioning look but Emma completely shut her out. All she wanted now was to go to her room and cry for the woman she loved and … _wait!_ If it was only a scratch and the poison worked slowly, maybe there was an antidote! If she could bring that to Regina fast enough—

“Don’t even think about it,” Red whispered close to her ear.

“What?”

“You’re thinking of running again, of saving that damn unicorn,” Red explained. “I can see it in your eyes.”

“I … I’m not …” 

Red shook her head. “You can lie to Snow but not to me.” She kept her voice low but Snow was talking to Granny, so she continued. “I know you went into the woods to go after the unicorn. Why?”

Emma wondered how to answer that question. On the one hand, Red had always been there for her but on the other hand, she was one of her mother’s closest advisors. “I did,” she finally replied, “because that black unicorn is very special.” _What did it matter now anyway?_

Red looked not as surprised as Emma expected. “You know more than you let on, don’t you?” 

But before she could ask any more questions, Granny left — declaring loudly that she was getting drunk — and Snow focused on her daughter again. “Emma, now that this ugly business is taken care of, we can focus on what is really important.”

“Oh?” was all Emma could think of saying. _What else was going on? Wasn’t this suffering enough already?_

“I’ve grown tired of all the difficulty you have caused me,” Snow continued evenly. “So I have decided you are finally to be married. Enough is enough.”

_Not that again, and especially not now._ “Married?”

“Yes.” Snow sounded satisfied while Emma tried not to vomit again. First Regina was poisoned, now this. She needed to get out of here _now_. Snow had to see something in her eyes or posture for once because she continued. “Your future husband will arrive in four days’ time, and the wedding will take place in a week.”

_A week? Oh hell._ Emma’s eyes went to Red, silently begging for help.

But her mother, it seemed, knew her well enough. “You will spend that week in the observatory at the top of the south tower. You will have your food delivered three times a day but apart from that you are to speak to nobody unless I call for you. You should take the week to think about your future duties as the wife of Prince Conrad of Winterfell and to forget about passing fancies like black unicorns or trips to the forest.” She fixed Emma with a stare. “Should you try to run away again, your guards will suffer. I will have them all executed. Is that understood? Good.”

Emma was absolutely horrified. The south tower was the highest place in the palace and there was no easy way to climb down from there. It would take a miracle to escape. 

Or magic.

The thought of magic brought back thoughts of Regina but this time Emma felt life return to her heart. Nobody here knew that Regina had her magic back, which meant that the poison they used was likely to be ineffective or at least could be removed by magic. Which meant that Regina was not about to die a slow and painful death, and Emma could continue to hope.

As Emma was led up endless stairs by the guards, she thought about magic and what she knew about it. She felt deep inside herself, thinking about the things Tink had said about true love and connections, and while she couldn’t tell for sure she didn’t _feel_ as if Regina was dead or dying. Emma took that as a good sign and resolved to stay positive. A woman who had survived decades in the woods under a curse was hard to kill, especially if she was a powerful witch. So unless she had proof of Regina’s death, she would believe in her and in magic, and her own escape. Because once Regina had healed herself, she could then maybe come to free Emma from her tower prison. Somehow.

That was, of course, if she missed Emma as much as Emma was already missing her, but belief was all Emma had at this point, so she chose that. One thing was clear: she was not going to get married in a week to some prince her mother had sold her to for a good trading opportunity or something. No, the only person she ever planned on marrying was Regina, and she had a week to get out of this predicament.

Or die trying.

 

o—o—o

 

Regina woke up the next morning after another night of intense dreams featuring her and Emma, dreams that only intensified her desire to make those dreams a reality.

She conjured up some tea and enjoyed it in front of her cabin while continuing to think. If Emma didn’t return today, she had to assume there was something wrong, and then she’d have to come up with a way to find out what happened and where Emma was. 

There was always the possibility that Emma simply had chosen to return home and forget about her quest … but for once Regina decided to trust in hope, trust in Emma. And if Emma was held captive in the castle, something that Regina found hard to believe even Snow would do, then she had to figure out who could help her get her out.

Because one thing was sure, Regina _would_ need help, and only two people were even a distant option. Marian had helped her escape, so she might allow herself to be convinced to help but Tinkerbell … well, given their history, that could be interesting.


	9. Allies (or something like it)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma has an unexpected visitor and several people are running around the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the love you keep showing this story. Every single comment makes me smile. :)

Emma paced her new accommodations in a circle, glaring at the door, the many windows and the glass roof in order but none of them magically sprung open.

She had spent the evening thoroughly examining the large round room, checking the windows (which could be opened but were too high above the courtyard outside to be of any use), the walls (solid stone), the door (heavy, locked, and guarded), even the floor (solid stone as well, no hidden trap doors beneath the rugs) but had come away disappointed and even more hopeless. She’d even tried repositioning the large telescope — which was normally used to watch the night sky — in front of a window so she could at least look into the forest and maybe find Regina, but it was bolted to the floor, and she had found no means to move it.

Frustrated and bone-weary she had sunk onto the small bed her mother had brought up for her, sure she would at least fall asleep quickly in her tired state. Instead, she had tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, worrying about Regina, hoping she was all right and had been able to heal herself, and worrying about her own situation, about how she was going to get out of this. 

She had considered a short list of people in the palace as possible helpers but had finally dismissed them all. The first person that had come to mind had been young Henry, the stable boy of all people, but he was too young to be sent into the deep part of the forest to find outlaws or a former fairy or even a unicorn — Emma had smiled at the thought of Henry running into Regina and trying to communicate with her — and even if he wasn’t too young, Emma had no conceivable way of talking to him from high up in the tower.

That left Red perhaps, who was her godmother after all and should theoretically be on her side. Emma had always trusted Red with everything, had told her everything but she had been disappointed the past few days with the way her godmother had mindlessly followed Snow’s orders and set out to hunt Regina and bring back Emma so she could be sold into a marriage she didn’t want. Also, Red telling everyone at that fateful dinner that Emma had spotted a black unicorn had started all of this disaster, so Emma really wasn’t too fond of her godmother at the moment. Which left her with … nobody but herself and her own ingenuity. Great.

At some point, Emma’s mind had finally shut down and she’d sunk into sleep, into Regina’s waiting arms. Regina who was healthy and whole and looked so beautiful that Emma had wanted to cry even in her dreams but she’d simply lain down and rested her her head on Regina’s breast, Regina’s arms curled tightly around her, her scent surrounding her, and had fallen asleep listening to Regina’s even heartbeat.

When she had been woken up by one of the servants bringing her breakfast, Emma had felt the smile still curling around her lips, had still been able to feel the lips pressed against the crown of her head, her forehead, her nose, and finally her lips, had still been able to feel Regina’s skin against her own wherever they touched, until reality caught up to her and woke her fully to the tragedy of their circumstances.

After breakfast she’d started pacing the room _thinking thinking thinking_ and she was still pacing hours later when the door opened again. Instead of the expected lunch, however, a familiar face hesitantly revealed itself.

“Granny?” Emma was surprised to see the old wolf and only belatedly remembered that she was still hurt and angry that the hunter had used poison in an effort to kill Regina. “Widow Lucas,” she changed her greeting, her voice cool, face and body closed off. “What brings you to my prison?”

Granny looked taken aback. “You haven’t called me that in … well, I don’t think you ever called me anything but Granny,” she said quietly. “May I come in?”

“Do I have a choice?” 

Granny took a deep breath, stepping further into the room. “In this you do,” she replied in a mere whisper, acknowledging the situation Emma was in. “But I really would like to talk to you … explain some things …”

Through the gap in the door Emma could see the guards’ ears straining to hear from the position outside the door, and she realized that whatever Granny had come to say was not for their nor her mother’s ears. She nodded and Granny entered the room, swiftly closing the door behind her and walking as far away from it as the round room allowed.

“We won’t have much time,” Granny said a little louder than before but still in a low voice. “The walls have ears in this castle, and one of the guards is undoubtedly already running down those stairs to report my visit to Graham or your mother.”

“Why shouldn’t you be coming here?” Emma asked a little surprised. “You’re one of my mother’s trusted advisors.”

Granny slowly shook her head. “I may be that, child,” she finally breathed. “Or I may have been …”

“I think you need to explain that.”

“That’s what I came here to do … to try to explain.” Granny paced in front of Emma in a strange repeat of how Emma had spent her morning. “But it’s difficult to know where to start.”

“The beginning is usually a good place,” Emma hinted.

“Yes, but where is that? _When_ is that?” Granny’s eyes met Emma’s. “When did things start to … turn darker here?”

Recklessly, Emma decided to offer Granny a helping hand. “Maybe when my parents decided to make Rumplestiltskin curse Queen Regina and then have the Blue Fairy turn him into stone for his trouble?”

Granny sat down heavily on a nearby chair, her mouth open in surprise. “You know about that?” she gasped. “ _How?_ Everyone was so careful to keep that a secret. And how do you even know about the Evil Queen? I thought Snow had decided that …”

“You said it yourself,” Emma said. “The walls have ears around here.”

Granny nodded. “Well, that may be as good a starting point as any, I guess.” She relaxed a little into her chair as she continued. “It was Blue’s idea, you know? The whole curse thing.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Emma snarled. “But my parents could have still said no.”

“They could have, yes, and they probably should have.” For the first time in as long as Emma could remember Granny actually looked old, and she wondered for a moment just how many years the old werewolf had seen. “But things were very different back then … the Evil Queen had just been defeated, barely, your mother’s reign was more tenuous …”

“Because Regina was actually the rightful queen and mother deposed her?” Emma pointed out.

“The Evil Queen killed King Leopold when Snow was but a child!” Granny whisper-roared, angry but still mindful of the guards outside. “She tried to kill your mother for years and years before we finally managed to beat her in battle!”

“I know,” Emma replied simply and evenly. “And if I had been in her situation I might have done the same. My grandfather was not a good man.”

Granny looked shocked and as if she was about to protest but in the end she only exhaled in a huff. “You shouldn’t say things like that, Emma, not in this castle. Your mother loved her father with all her heart,” she said. “He wasn’t a bad king,” she finally added after a moment’s pause, “but he was a man with absolute power …” Granny looked ill for just a second but she didn’t add anything else.

“And as his beloved and very spoilt daughter Snow wielded almost as much power,” Emma whispered harshly. “She had enough power to make her father buy her a step-mother that was only a few years older than her. My mother wanted a new toy and my grandfather thought it was a great idea to marry this young girl and then he …” Emma’s voice broke and she trailed off. “From what I heard, Regina did not have a good life here in the castle with the old man who abused her and the girl whose fault it was.” She fixed Granny with a glare. “So yes, I can understand why Regina did what she did.”

Granny looked lost in memory for a long moment. “You know a lot more than anyone gave you credit for,” she said looking up. “So you do know that the unicorn is … was …”

“Queen Regina, yes.” Emma smiled without thinking before her expression hardened once more. “I never would have taken you for someone who uses poison, Granny,” she accused. “Only cowards and bad hunters do that, and I never thought of you as either.”

“It was your mother’s orders,” Granny said, now really looking ill. “She handed us the bolts before we set out to hunt the unicorn. And now she wants me to go back into the forest to make sure the unicorn is actually dead. I’m supposed to go and find it … and bring back the head.”

“What?!” Emma erupted.

“As much as I agree that the Evil Queen deserved to die,” Granny continued undeterred, “I think it should have been done after a fair trial, back when the battle was won. What is the point now, almost thirty years later? Why not at any point before?”

Emma knew without a doubt what the difference was. “It’s my fault,” she breathed, heartbroken. “Snow only wants her dead now because I saw her in the forest and was stupid enough to tell Red at the dinner table because I didn’t know anything about any of this then.”

Granny didn’t see the turmoil Emma was in. “Yes, that must be it,” she said, nodding. “We all thought she’d died long ago, actually, defenseless as she was supposed to be without her magic, alone in the forest. I honestly have no idea how she made it this long. She is older than your mother, and it’s not as if she had any friends in this realm, and yet …”

“None of you realized back then that unicorns are mythical creatures?” Emma simply replied, biting down her emotions so as not to reveal anything about Regina’s human side that nobody knew about but her … and Tink. “Apparently they have a really long lifespan.”

“That … or the imp did something. Turning her into a unicorn was his idea after all,” Granny mused. Then she got up, slowly, and again Emma could see her age. “I should be going to do your mother’s bidding, much as I am loath to do so. I just wanted to let you know that … that I really don’t like any of this.” She pointed at Emma and around the room. “I know you don’t like me much at the moment and you probably respect me even less … but if there’s anything I can do?”

“Can you stop this wedding from happening?” Emma asked sardonically. “Can you get me out of here?”

Granny shook her head apologetically. “I am sworn to serve your mother, as are all the others here in the castle. Many are unhappy with the way things are going but nobody will say a word. Red has taken to long runs in the forest, much like you, and I spend too much time in my quarters with my rum.”

“What about Graham?” 

“He seems entirely unconcerned,” Granny replied slowly. “He doesn’t seem to care about much of anything at all.” 

“Granny …” Emma started hesitantly. “Is there an antidote?”

“To the poison?” Granny shook her head. “If there is, Snow didn’t tell me about it and I wouldn’t know where to look for it either. But Emma … it would be too late now anyway.”

“I know,” Emma said, although she knew in her heart that Regina was alive thanks to her magic. “But Granny … if you find the body … could you defy my mother for once and bury her instead of defiling her body?” _Not that you’ll find anything …_

Granny swallowed hard but gave Emma a hesitant nod. “If I am alone or with Red, I’ll give her a burial. She probably deserves that at least.” She sighed. “She used to be a good queen before she turned fully evil, before she was trying to kill your mother all the time, you know? Good laws, good economy, and she let people live their lives unless …”

“Unless they were helping Snow, which included you and Red,” Emma finished for her. It was exactly as Regina had told her, although Regina had not mentioned that she’d been a good queen instead of just a reluctant one.

“And many, many others,” Granny pointed out. “Emma, I know this all sounds like the tale of a tragic heroine but the Evil Queen was really quite a monster in the pursuit of her goals. She didn’t care how many people she killed, how many villages she burned as long as it got her closer to killing Snow.”

“I do know that,” Emma said softly. “And to most people it must have seen like the random violence of a horrible ruler because they never knew the reasons behind it all.”

“No, they didn’t,” Granny acceded. “But is there ever a good enough reason to go through your kingdom killing its people for protecting their beloved princess?”

“Is there a good enough reason to curse someone to live as an animal in the forest? To kill that animal by poison and then to demand the head of that animal? To do what with it?”

“I don’t know,” Granny answered the implied question. “I don’t know what she wants with it … but it probably won’t be good.” She walked towards the door. “I need to go, Emma.”

Emma nodded but stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Thank you for coming up here today and for being open and honest with me … for not treating me like a child.”

Granny gave her a shrewd look. “Oh, you’re not a child anymore, Emma, and I think you know still far more than you let on even now.”

Emma ignored the comment. “Listen, if you run into the outlaws that helped the unicorn … could you please not attack them? They’ve helped me out before, and they deserve to be left alone.”

After a second, Granny nodded once more. “If they don’t attack me, I won’t attack them. Anything else?”

“If you meet them … please let them know what’s going on with me?” Emma whispered. “Tell them to let … my other friends in the forest know?”

“You’re a sly one, aren’t you, Emma?” Granny said. “I’ll try to let your _friends_ know.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, _please_ , unless you want me dead,” Granny groaned under her breath before knocking on the door and waiting for the guards to open it.

 

o—o—o

 

The second night after Emma’s capture had been about as restless for Regina as Emma’s night at the castle, worry keeping her awake long after night had fallen over the forest. She’d spent the morning pacing her sanctuary, unwilling to risk moving farther out in case the queen’s hunters were back to find her corpse, her mind on Emma the whole time. 

But when midday had come and gone without Emma returning, Regina faced the facts: Snow had done the unthinkable and had locked up her own daughter. That or Emma had decided that life as a princess suited her better than life with a cursed former evil queen, not that said queen would blame her for it. But for some reason Regina’s heart wasn’t quite able to believe that was what happened. Even if Emma had decided to return home to her parents and her responsibilities, she would have at least said goodbye somehow. 

No, she was as certain as she could be that Emma wasn’t staying away of her own free will. And if that was the case, if she was kept from the forest by her mother and her entourage and possibly by locks and chains and who knew what, it was up to Regina to find a way to help her.

With one last look back at her cabin where she’d spent those few, happy hours with the princess, Regina set off, risk be damned. At least she knew where to find Tinkerbell thanks to Emma, and she had a fair idea about where to find herself some outlaws as well, should she need them. Besides, she should really thank Marian for her assistance — and possible give her the shock of a lifetime. All she could hope for was that Tinkerbell wouldn’t turn her away, and that Marian and her little band of merry men didn’t kill her on sight.

Risk be damned, indeed, but Emma was worth it.

 

o—o—o

 

Marian moved through the forest with ease, her senses alert to anything that moved. After seeing the black unicorn being chased by Queen Snow’s hunters and Princess Emma’s questions about Tinkerbell and her quest to find true love, she’d put two and two together and was now searching the woods to figure out if she’d really come up with the right answer. 

She remembered all those stories about the Evil Queen and the green fairy far better than she had wanted to let Emma know, and she’d always wondered what the truth was, what had really happened so many years ago. The stories had always said that the then very young queen had been at fault, had caused the fairy to lose her wings … but Marian had met the Blue Fairy, had seen the cold calculation in her eyes as much as the fairy had wanted to hide it behind benign smiles. So what if … 

Marian shook her head. So many questions and _what ifs_ swirling around her head, and the most important one to her was: was the Evil Queen still a threat to the forest, to their home? Somehow Marian couldn’t quite believe it, and she’d left their camp and her grumbling, complaining husband behind to figure out what exactly was going on. 

Because if the queen really had been cursed as Marian now assumed and had lived peacefully in the forest with them for nearly three decades, then there was quite obviously nothing to fear from her, especially if she was living as a unicorn. That was another point: to Marian, the unicorn was a major clue to believe that no harm would come from the Evil Queen. 

She had been living with the forest and its animals, its myths, its stories far longer than she had ever thought possible, and she knew a lot if things that had long since moved into the realm of lore for the peasants and nobles who only crossed the woods if they had somewhere to go. And one thing Marian had learned was that unicorns were the good kind of mythical creature, and if the Evil Queen managed to live as one for years, then — so Marian assumed — she couldn’t be bad, or at least not that bad any longer. 

Another thing that deeply ingrained in her beliefs was that you did not hunt or kill unicorns, _not ever_ , which was why she hadn’t thought twice about helping the black unicorn get away without really understanding or caring who she might have helped.

Which was how she found herself roaming the forest now to see if her assistance had indeed been helpful. She’d seen a wound on the animal’s flank and she hoped she wouldn’t find it somewhere, hurt or worse. She hadn’t had any luck so far, however, and was just about to give up for the day when she heard hurried footsteps coming closer. Not an animal, so not the unicorn. Human footsteps, and they were in a hurry. Marian moved behind a tree to see who it was and felt her jaw drop when she realized who the petite blonde in her forest clothes had to be.

What was a former fairy doing so far away from where she usually made her home? And without having to think too hard about it, the answer came to her quickly: Emma. The princess must have actually managed to find her, which meant that Tinkerbell would quite possibly know more about what was going on, and Marian was too curious to let this opportunity quite literally run past her.

With a small and hopefully unthreatening smile, Marian stepped away from the shadow of the tree and straight into the fairy’s path.


	10. A Meeting in the Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A path in a certain forest is suddenly seeing a lot of traffic ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for being a little late in posting this new chapter but I had a huge deadline at work that basically killed my writing time. Also, my main computer died, so bleh.
> 
> As always, thanks to everyone who reads and comments - you bring smiles to my face. :)

Tinkerbell was _worried_ , which irritated her beyond belief.

She _didn’t_ worry about anyone, _damn it_ , not any longer, had given up on that a long, long time ago, after she had lost her wings for trying to help Regina. Yet here she was, running through the forest because she was worried about some stupid princess that had to show up _— completely uninvited, mind you —_ and somehow made her believe in something again. Yeah, she was irritated ... but there was nothing much to be done about it now.

Her sides stung, her body reminding her that she hadn’t moved this fast for this long in too many years to count, letting her know in no uncertain terms that this was a very bad idea. She paused, bent over, hands on her knees, breath labored, while her mind berated her for following Emma once she had left her the morning before. If she’d just stayed home the way she had planned, she wouldn’t have been forced to watch Emma’s meeting with Regina, and she wouldn’t have been forced to actually _really, truly_ _believe_ everything Emma had told her.

But she _had_ been there — _stupidstupidstupid_ , her mind reminded her again while her body still fought for breath — and thus she had to watch Emma get dragged away by Queen Snow’s guards, and Regina being chased through the woods by the queen’s hunters. For a moment she had expected to at least feel some satisfaction from the latter but all she had felt was worry for both women.

_Stupid princess,_ she groused as she slowly stretched and started to run again, _stupid Regina._

She had followed the guards until she was sure they were taking Emma back to the castle and by that time it had been too late to do anything else. She had found a tree to spend the night in, then had spent the morning debating with herself what to do to help Emma — _if anything, really, and why should she help a princess and a former Evil Queen who really didn’t deserve it?_

But here she was, running her lungs out because for some stupid reason _damn it, she did care_. With that thought running became a little easier, a little lighter, a little—

“Oomph!” Tink’s progress was stopped abruptly by a soft, yet solid object in her path and the squeak that escaped her mouth as she fell backwards did not serve to make her any less irritated.

Quite the contrary.

 

o—o—o

 

Marian had to stifle a grin at the sound that came from the woman that had just crashed into her — and then tumbled to the ground with an undignified sound — but she managed a simple smile in greeting once the fairy’s eyes met her own.

“Hello,” Marian said, trying not to laugh at the grumpy look on the slightly smaller woman’s face. “Greetings to you.”

“Hello?” Tinkerbell groused. “Greetings? I’ll give you greetings,” she grumbled as she struggled to get up. Marian held out her hand to assist her but all that got her was a dirty look. “Who do you think I am? Some old, infirm crone that—“

“I think you’re Tinkerbell,” Marian interrupted softly, tone friendly and even. “And I apologize for knocking you over but—“

“You should,” Tinkerbell groaned as she rubbed her backside once she’d gotten back on her feet. “It felt like running into a tree.”

“I’m sorry,” Marian said again.

“Yeah, yeah.” Tinkerbell dismissed Marian’s apology. She gave the other woman a long look, mustering her from head to toe. “Now I know for a fact that I don’t have my name tattooed on my forehead, so what makes you think you know who I am?”

Marian sighed. Somehow she hadn’t expected a fairy, even a former one, to be quite this … prickly. “There aren’t too many people who live in this forest and …” She stopped, unsure how to bring up Emma.

“And?” Tink looked amused now rather than angry.

“And … somebody asked about you the other day and … well, it’s just an interesting coincidence, that’s all.” Marian winced at her own fumbling words.

Tink was equally unimpressed. “That’s moose shit, and you know it,” she snorted after a long stare. “Let’s shorten this a bit, shall we? I don’t have time for these games, not today. Yes, I’m Tinkerbell, and I’m assuming the somebody was a rather irresistible young woman looking for true love?” At Marian’s nod, Tink continued. “Which means you’re Marian, right? Leader of the merry men?”

“No … yes … I mean, yes, I’m Marian but Robin is the leader—“

“Moose shit again,” Tikerbell stopped her. “We don’t have any time to waste.”

“What’s the hurry?”

 

o—o—o

 

Regina slowed her steps when she heard rapid footsteps coming in her direction. She stopped behind some trees a few feet away from the narrow path and decided to wait. As soon as she stopped moving, she heard another set of footsteps, this one much softer and barely audible. Intrigued and quietly hopeful that she may have found at least one of the people she had been looking for, she remained still and watched the path.

It took less than a minute for the two people to come into view. The softer tread belonged to Marian, and Regina was again hit by a feeling of gratitude for the outlaw. She studied her while Marian seemed to also wait for the runner as she hid behind a tree but still in full view of Regina, and marveled at the changes from the young woman she’d seen with Robin in the tavern that night that cost Tink her wings, or even the noblewoman that attended court events even for a long time after that night. Regina wondered when Marian had given up her old life completely to live in the forest, had stopped her double life that no doubt led to quite a few lightened purses among the other nobles and some great opportunities for the merry men. She was older now, yes — about the same age as Regina would be without the curse — but still very beautiful, and to Regina’s eyes she appeared much more confident and resting in herself. _Looks like living in the forest was good for both of us._

Seeing Marian and thinking about their respective ages should have prepared her for the woman she saw next but it hadn’t. _Oh, Tink_ , she thought and if she were human right now she knew she would have sighed. Gone was the vibrant, vivacious young fairy who made her laugh and smile and was her only friend until she decided to meddle in Regina’s life. The curls on her head still remained, bouncing as she ran, and even more as she bumped into Marian and onto the ground, but they weren’t all blonde now any longer. Tink had aged, just like everyone around Regina obviously had but it was harder to see it in the faces of the people she’d known a lifetime ago. For just a moment, she wondered what Snow looked like before focussing on the conversation between Tink and Marian, her ears pricking in interest as soon Emma was mentioned. A yearning ache settled in the unicorn’s chest as she listened. _Emma._

When she realized that Marian had no idea what had happened to Emma, and Tink did, she decided to risk revealing herself. She was relatively certain that Marian wouldn’t hurt her … but she had no idea what Tink would do. All she knew was that Emma had found her, had talked to her and that she’d found out something of interest that they had planned to talk about before Emma had been kidnapped by her mother’s guards and hunters, and presumably taken back to the White palace.

Taking one last deep breath, Regina stepped onto the path, joining the women already on it.

 

o—o—o

 

Marian saw her first. “Oh,” she breathed. Then she smiled when the unicorn dipped its head in greeting. “I’m glad to see you seem to be all right.” She craned her neck to try and see the spot where she thought she’d seen the wound but all she could see was spotless, dark hair. “Very all right, in fact,” she muttered, unable to take her eyes off the beautiful animal in front of her, even though the unicorn had turned her focus onto the former fairy.

Tinkerbell’s eyes had widened at Regina’s sudden appearance but at first she was far too busy watching the awe in Marian’s eyes to say anything. Once she felt Marian had stared at and greeted the unicorn enough, however, she cleared her throat, eager to get back to the topic at hand — the same topic she assumed had driven Regina to look for either one of them.

Regina turned to Tinkerbell and lowered her head in greeting. She wasn’t afraid of the former fairy but she also had no reason to expect she was going to get a friendly welcome, not with their history. On the other hand, she also wasn’t entirely sure Tinkerbell knew that she was the woman inside the unicorn body since she and Emma hadn’t had any time to talk. Knowing Emma, she simply assumed that she’d shared Regina’s curse with the fairy in her quest to help her, and with how elated the princess had been after her visit with Tinkerbell, well … _We shall see._

Marian watched in fascination how the large animal seemed to approach the tiny woman with utmost care, almost as if trying to communicate her harmlessness which was quite a feat given that the unicorn had a large, muscular body with a sharp, long horn spouting from its forehead.

Tinkerbell was torn. She remembered telling Emma that she’d forgiven Regina, and the way she had worried about her just as much as about Emma would confirm this but deep inside there was also a lot of hurt. Still, the whole thing also fascinated her, and she tried to see Regina in the unicorn. There, in the eyes … if you looked hard enough, the animal’s large, dark eyes held something of Regina’s spirit, Tinkerbell was sure.

Regina looked at Tink, taking in her facial expressions and trying to read them. As a young fairy, Tinkerbell had always been open and easy to read but this older version of her had apparently learned to be a little more guarded, and Regina felt a stab of guilt at that. She knew she wasn’t entirely to blame for the disaster so many years ago but she also knew that if Tinkerbell hadn’t tried to help her, she would probably still have her wings, her magic, and her youth.

Regina wished she could say something … anything really to break this impasse that felt like it had been going on for days but had probably only been minutes or even seconds. She looked up into the trees and then, realizing that the hour was later than she had expected, towards the west. Well, soon enough she _would_ be able to speak.

“Hello, Regina,” Tinkerbell said quietly, earnestly, tearing Regina from her thoughts.

Marian gaped. “Do you know … did you just call …?” The outlaw looked from Tinkerbell to Regina and back. “Mind telling me what’s going on here?” she finally asked evenly, almost dryly. To her credit, she refrained from going for her bow or any of the daggers she had hidden on her body. “This is not a normal unicorn, is it?”

“No, it’s not,” Tinkerbell replied even as Regina shook her head. “I have no idea if you were ever formally introduced but it was definitely not in this form, so … Marian, meet Regina.”

“Regina? As in …”

Tinkerbell nodded. “As in former queen, also known as the Evil Queen, or simply the queen of the White kingdom.” Tink tried to read the look on Marian’s face but couldn’t, so she continued blithely. “These days, though, she’s more unicorn by day, cursed former queen by night.”

Regina snorted, breath coming out of her nostrils in a huff, and she kicked the dirt under her hooves for good measure. If she had been in her human form, Tinkerbell assumed, she’d have been rolling her eyes.

“Unicorn by day,” Marian repeated. “So she’s going to …”

“Change to her human form as soon as the sun goes down,” Tinkerbell confirmed. “You’ll see,” she added, pointing at the growing gloom around them as the low sun had a hard time getting through the dense foliage.

“Can’t wait.” Marian’s comment was dry but her body was tense.

Tinkerbell noticed. “Is that going to be an issue?”

Marian shook her head without hesitation. “I’m assuming she’s the one Emma is trying to find a cure for a curse for?” She hadn’t taken long to put two and two together and come to the right conclusion. “I’m just surprised it doesn’t seem to be an issue for you,” she pointed out with a raised eyebrow at Tinkerbell.

Tink could feel Regina’s eyes on her, dark and stormy, and she knew the former queen had the same question. “Believe me,” she replied, looking at Marian but her words addressing Regina just as much if not more. “We’re going to be having a long conversation about the past at some point but right now we have a bigger and more urgent business to take care of.”

Regina neighed and nodded.

“Emma, I assume?” Marian asked.

“Emma.” Tink confirmed grimly. “Snow’s guards took her to the castle pretty much at the point of their swords.”

“When the hunters were hunting the black unicor—,” she stopped and turned to Regina. “I mean _you_?”

Before Regina could react or Tinkerbell could reply, Marian suddenly held up a hand. “Someone’s coming,” she whispered.

Regina nodded, having sensed the newcomer as well.

“Not one of mine,” Marian added. “Regina, you better hide … if it’s the hunters again, we’ll send them on their way.”

Regina stared at Marian for a moment looking like she wanted to disagree but then she started to feel a tingling in her body that told her that getting away from prying eyes was probably a really good idea. She dipped her head once, then slowly and silently walked into the underbrush.

Not a second later, a lone figure appeared on the path, crossbow in hand, looking miserable.

 

o—o—o

 

Granny moved through the forest as silently as she ever had but for the first time in as long as she could remember she wasn’t feeling any joy in being in the woods and roaming through the trees. Her mind was on Emma, and how unhappy she had looked, and given her situation, Granny couldn’t fault her one bit.

She didn’t think it was just the prospect of having to marry some prince she’d never met just because Snow had gotten tired of waiting for her to choose someone and was coveting the trade and wealth this planned marriage would bring. No, if Granny’s nose was right — and even as old as she was, she was seldom wrong in things like that — Emma had given her heart away to somebody already, somebody in this very forest. Granny wasn’t quite sure who it was, but she hoped to hell that it wasn’t the worst candidate possible. But knowing Emma ... well ...

Granny focused back on the trail. Her search for the black unicorn or its dead body had been lackluster at best from the beginning since she had no interest in fulfilling Snow’s wishes this time, and she was glad that she’d managed to go out without any company, so she didn’t even have to pretend. Red had simply stared at her in abject horror when Granny had mentioned what Snow had sent her to do, and had quickly found somewhere else to be. Granny had suggested going to see Emma but Red had declined and just gone for a run, and probably to find some distraction of the female or male kind afterwards to make her forget the things their old friend Snow made them do these days.

Granny’s mind returned to the subject that had occupied it for hours, ever since her midday visit to the tower — Emma. _What was going on with the girl?_ Granny was convinced she wasn’t just running into the forest to be alone, at least not on her latest foray. She suspected that the Evil Queen had something to do with it but she couldn’t imagine how or why. How did Emma even know about all the old history? How had she found out what had happened to the Evil Queen? And how on Earth had a cursed unicorn managed to get the princess on her side when she knew that the cursed queen was her family’s greatest enemy?

A noise startled Granny from her thoughts, and in the blink of an eye her crossbow was in her hands, locked and loaded — with her own bolts, not those horrible poison killers Snow had ordered them to use. Those, Granny remembered with a fierce, satisfied grin, had made a nice green flame in her fireplace the night before.

The noise developed into voices, two distinct, female-sounding ones that she could make out and Granny sighed as she realized who that could possibly be. No matter what she had said to Emma, she really hadn’t planned on running into any outlaws but she would do as she promised and not attack them. However, one could never be too prepared, so she kept her crossbow at the ready as she cautiously moved forward until she could see the speakers through the trees.

And found herself staring at the pointy end of a nocked arrow in Marian’s bow. Just as she suspected … well then, at least she could fulfill one royal’s wish today, Granny thought and lowered her crossbow as she slowly but confidently stepped forward.

“Lady Marian,” Granny greeted cordially, falling back on the name she had known the woman for since she was very young noble girl.

“Widow Lucas,” Marian replied, lowering her bow as well. “I’m glad to see you managed to get out of yesterday’s scrape without any injuries. I told the boys to be careful but you never know …”

“Everything is still where it needs to be and working,” Granny replied dryly before her eyes wandered over to Tinkerbell in the ever-darkening light of the evening. “Are you going to introduce us, Lady Marian?”

Marian chuckled. “It’s just Marian out here in the forest,” she said with a little laugh in her voice. “And if that was a dig at my presumably lost courtly manners … well, I don’t remember _you_ being all that refined, Widow Lucas.” She smirked. “Or should I call you the Big Bad Wolf?”

Tinkerbell watched the back and forth with interest but also impatience. She knew from Emma that Regina changed her form as soon as the sun went down and that moment was approaching rapidly if it hadn’t already happened. “Maybe we should cut the niceties short until we’re someplace where we can actually see each other?” Her eyes met Marian’s in the gloom, and they shared a significant look.

“Right, absolutely.” Marian caught on immediately, even though she didn’t know the specifics about Regina’s curse, just that sunset was an important moment in the day. “I have a small hunting camp not too far from here where we can have dinner and some rest.”

Tinkerbell nodded and looked at Granny but before she could say anything, the older woman beat her to it. “I know it’s sudden, and I’m not necessarily desirable company, but I have news from Emma,” Granny said. “And I swear I don’t mean you any harm. In fact I had to promise Emma that I wouldn’t attack you should I run into you, and she bade me give you a message.”

“You’ve spoken to Emma?” Tinkerbell gasped.

“Today?” Marian added.

There was rustling in the trees close to them, and Granny’s ears pricked at the noise. Something was off but she didn’t know what it was. Her hand reached for her crossbow again, intent on checking out the unusual sounds but Tinnkerbell stepped in front of her.

“You’re welcome to join us at our camp,” she said, not so subtly pulling her attention away from the trees where she knew Regina was probably dying to hear about Emma, whether in her unicorn form or already changed back to her human form.

“Yes,” Marian chimed in. “And I think we should go. The camp is only about a quarter league west of here.” She said the last bit loud enough for Regina to hear, and winced immediately when she realized that Granny gave her a strange look before her eyes moved back to the trees, which were now still and quiet as the rest of the forest around them.

With a shrug, Granny accepted the change in plan and started walking with the two other woman. After a few steps, she turned to Tinkerbell, now barely able to make out her features in the increasing darkness, and decided to be blunt. “Well, I know who Marian is … but who are you?”

 

o—o—o

 

Regina just made it to the cover of the trees before her body began to change. This time she barely noticed the pain morphing back brought, so occupied was her mind with the confirmation that Emma had been taken to the castle. As soon as she was in her human body, she stood on shaky legs and shook herself, trying to get her bearings quickly. A few deep breaths had her feeling almost normal, and she pressed herself against a large tree from where she could see Tinkerbell, Marian, and the newly arrived —-

_— Widow Lucas?_ Regina’s hand curled into a fist, but she stopped the fireball forming in it just in time before it flew out and toasted Snow’s chief hunter and very old friend or worse, gave her away.

She listened intently, her whole being aching for any news of Emma she could glimpse, and when the old werewolf revealed that she’d spoken to Emma earlier this very day, she swore that the hunter would not leave this forest before she had revealed every little thing she knew about Emma’s situation. In her aching need to hear every nuance in every word about Emma, Regina became careless and moved a couple of steps closer without thinking. The leaves and branches around her creaked and rustled, nearly deafening to her own ears, and clearly audible to the three women on the path.

Regina stood stock still, not even breathing, when Widow Lucas’ eyes scanned the trees and underbrush, resting almost exactly on Regina’s position for a moment longer than anywhere else. At least that’s what it felt like to Regina who quickly accessed her magic to muffle her presence.

She was grateful when Marian and Tinkerbell suggested talking more at Marian’s camp and invited the hunter along, and thanks to Marian’s very unsubtle information Regina knew where she had to go, even though she had already decided to simply shadow the small group to the camp, shrouded by magic, just in case Emma’s name came up again.

 

o—o—o

 

To her dismay, it didn’t. Instead, the three women seemingly were more interested in getting to the camp quickly and only shared a few words. Introductions were finally made between Tinkerbell and Granny, and Regina watched in almost savage enjoyment how much snark her old friend Tink had developed, revealing that she too might have a slightly darker side. But as soon as the thought entered her mind, Regina felt guilty once more knowing that she had played at least a part in that development.

Once at her hunting camp, Marian started a fire while the others got various provisions from their packs, which would make for an impromptu dinner. Regina kept to the shadows, staying far enough away so that the light of the fire couldn’t reach her but close enough that she could hear every word spoken.

“So now that we’ve taken care of all the introductions and some of the more interesting backgrounds,” Granny was just then saying with a look at Tinkerbell, “isn’t it time we talked about what we all seem to have in common?”

“Yes, let’s figure out how to get Emma out of that damn castle,” Tinkerbell agreed eagerly . “It can’t be much fun to be locked up, and not being able to be with ... to be free.”

Granny rolled her eyes at Tinkerbell’s almost slip. Who did these two think they were talking to? Did they really think she was too old to notice things? “Listen,” she sighed, unhappiness and frustration bleeding through in her voice, “as much fun as all this hide and seek is that you’re trying to play here, could we please stop pretending that there isn’t someone listening to us from those bushes over there?”

“What are you talking about?” Marian asked. “I have no ide—“

Granny growled. “I’m too old for these games but I’m not that old that my nose and my ears aren’t working perfectly fine! _All_ my senses work just fine, and quite frankly they’re not only telling me that somebody is there but they’re also telling me something that should not be possible.”

Regina swallowed hard. She was almost sure Granny instincts weren’t quite as sharp as she made them out to be given that she hadn’t pointed in her direction when she had talked about someone hiding but she also realized she now had a decision to make. Stay hidden and risk Granny not sharing her information or reveal herself in her true form to three people who had no reason to trust her. Only Tinkerbell presumably even knew about her connection to Emma, and Granny would most certainly suspect the worst and might try to kill her again once she saw her — and saw that time had had no effect on her. Tinkerbell would most probably be shocked by her relative youth but at least she didn’t have anything to fear from her, at least any kind of physical danger. And Marian … well, her reaction to her unicorn form and the news that she’d be changing back into a human at night — and the former Evil Queen at that — had been promising.

With a sigh, Regina looked down her body, checking her attire. Unconsciously, she’d morphed into something rather reminiscent of her old style — leather pants and a flamboyant coat — and she knew that wasn’t the message she wanted to send. With a flick of her wrist she toned it down a bit, staying with soft leather, but changing her look into something that resembled Marian’s style. Then she sighed, giving one last thought to the absurdities she was willing to go to for Emma, and stepped into the light of the campfire.

At least the three almost identical loud gasps were a little rewarding. The crossbow aiming at her heart, however, was not.


	11. A League of Extraordinary Ladies (and their sidekick)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which some people work together despite expectations to the contrary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your comments and kudos. I'm not entirely happy about this chapter (I never am when there's action involved) but it's as good as it's going to get. One more after this, I think, and then this part of our little tale will be done.
> 
> I swear there's no cliffhanger this time!

_At least the three almost identical loud gasps were a little rewarding. The crossbow aiming at her heart, however, was not._

“Hey!” Tinkerbell jumped up and tried to grab Granny’s arm. “No need for violence!”

Regina met Tink’s eyes, the flickering light from the fire bright enough for Tink to see the uncertainty in Regina’s eyes. Tink tried to suppress her shock at actually seeing the woman standing in front of her long enough to give her a small smile but she was pretty sure it came out more like a grimace. 

Marian watched the scene, her mouth slightly open in surprise. She had almost forgotten what the queen had looked like over the past 25 years and now here she was, unchanged. And apparently about to be killed by a trigger-happy old werewolf. She shook herself out of her stupor and stepped closer, right next toTinkerbell. 

“Maybe you should lower that crossbow,” she suggested firmly.

Granny ignored her, sole focus on the Evil Queen she had thought vanquished for good. “What kind of dark magic is this, Your Majesty?” she snarled. “You look just like you always did …” 

Regina wondered what to say to that, wondered if speaking would get her killed. She knew she could stop any bolt from that crossbow with her magic, but she really didn’t want to reveal _that_ much to these people without knowing if she could trust them with the information. It was more than enough that she had to reveal herself to them, but Emma was most definitely worth it. She hoped. And she hoped she’d get to see her again. “Widow Lucas,” she started moving forward but before she could continue, Granny raised the crossbow another inch.

“Stop it right there, Your Majesty,” Granny said. “From this distance even you can’t catch any arrows coming your way, and this is aimed straight at your heart.”

Regina almost snorted. “I didn’t think you thought I had one.”

“What?” Granny appeared thrown by that while Tink snickered. 

“Would it help if I showed it to you?” Regina asked mildly, although she had no intention to do so.

Granny recoiled. “I don’t want any of your dark magic!” she bellowed. “Now—“

“Oh, please,” Tinkerbell interrupted with a snort. “Dark magic, my green fairy ass.”

For the first time since Regina’s appearance, Granny took her eyes off her, if even for a moment. “What do you mean? Heart magic is as dark as it gets.”

“And yet,” Tinkerbell replied evenly, “the Blue Fairy is quite accomplished at it herself.”

Everyone’s eyes went to the former fairy. “Are you serious?” Granny finally asked, the crossbow in her hand lowering a couple of inches, perhaps unconsciously. 

“Perfectly,” Tink confirmed. “I’ve seen her do it with my own eyes, and more than once. Come to think of it now, that might actually be one more reason why she made sure I lost my wings. She doesn’t like people knowing about that.”

Granny’s gaze seemed to turn inward for a long moment. “That would explain some things,” she muttered after a moment. 

“So I’m assuming I won’t have to take out my heart,” Regina decided to ask.

“What heart?” Granny snorted. “It’s probably a lump of coal.”

“After 25 years of living as a unicorn?” Marian asked. “I’d be very much surprised.”

“True,” Tink added. “No heart, however dark, could withstand that much goodness for that long and not be influenced by it.”

Regina exhaled in relief. She _would_ have been able to take her heart out but she was really happy that she didn’t have to. Not only would it have revealed her returned magic, it also would have been hard to see the damage her heart still had from her darker days. Secretly, she agreed with Granny — her heart had to be black, unicorn form or not.

“As interesting as watching all of this is,” Marian said into the sudden silence, “and I mean _really interesting_ …” She ran her eyes over Regina again, taking in the much younger woman she had not expected to ever see again, and especially not looking like she hadn’t aged a day. “But we're all here for the same reason, right? So shouldn’t we leave the past in the past and talk about Emma’s situation and how to get her out of it?”

Tink watched as Regina’s shoulders tensed than relaxed minutely at the mention of the princess, and possibly the blatant appraisal she had just gotten from Marian. “I agree,” she said. “We’re all here because we want to get Emma out of her predicament.”

Granny finally lowered the crossbow entirely. “That’s true, although I fail to see what the Evil Queen’s interest in all of this is.”

“And it's none of your business either,” Regina said silkily. “Suffice it to say that Emma is a … friend.”

Tink couldn't help but snort.

Marian and Granny looked from Tink to Regina, who stared at her old friend with a dangerous glint in her eyes. 

“Do you have anything to say, Tink?” 

Regina’s voice was low and vaguely threatening but Tink wasn’t deterred. Instead she laughed lightly as she shook her head, making her graying curls bob on her head. “No, nothing to say,” she practically giggled. “Sure, let’s go with friends.”

Regina was not amused. “I’m not sure what you think you know but—“

“Don’t you?” Tink interrupted, suddenly serious. “I did talk to Emma for quite some time, remember, and all she could talk about was you and how much she—“

“Tinkerbell!” Regina’s eyes went to Granny and Marian, who were watching in fascination.

“Regina,” Tink said soothingly. “I know you’re private and you don’t like people and especially not people getting into things that you think are not their business …”

“That’s right, and you’d better heed that.”

“But Marian and Granny are here to help,” Tink continued as if Regina hadn’t spoken, “and I think they _should_ know why you’re involved in all of this. They need to know the story, the one Emma told me … the one that allowed me to forgive you.”

Regina’s eyes flew up to Tink’s. “You forgive me?”

“Didn’t Emma tell you?” Tink looked surprised. “I told her to tell you, honestly.”

Regina shook her head. “She didn’t have … We didn’t have much time before … All she said was that we had to talk, and she seemed so much lighter, happier … and then we were interrupted.”

“She figured some things out when she was with me,” Tinkerbell confirmed. “She realized what she wanted after … well, doesn’t matter.” She paused before an almost wicked grin appeared on her face. “Tell me, Regina, did you by any chance dream of Emma when she was away?”

Regina looked offended that Tink dared to ask such a personal question but then her eyes narrowed. “What did you do _this time_? Have you still not learned not to meddle in other people’s lives?”

Tink took that as her answer. “I thought so,” she said with a certain amount of glee. “And I didn’t _do_ anything.”

“Ha!”

“Children!” Granny barked before Tinkerbell could say anything else. “It’s getting late.”

Chastised into a truce, they all sat down around the small fire, although Regina’s thoughts were running wild in her head. What had Emma realized? Why were her dreams significant? She felt eyes on her and looked up from the flames she had been staring into and met Tink’s gaze. What did the damn fairy — _former_ _fairy_ — know?

She shook herself out of her thoughts and listened as Granny told them what she knew. She bristled at the idea that Emma was to marry some idiotic prince and her old hate for Snow curled sourly in her stomach. She growled at the image of Emma locked up in a tower, alone, locked away by the mother who supposedly loved her. She had to get her out of there!

Everyone stopped talking when Regina suddenly stood. “I have to go to the castle,” she declared. “I need to … Emma …”

“Yes, Re— Your—,” Marian stopped. “I have no idea what to call you.”

“Regina is fine, dear.” Regina smiled. “The last time we met you called me Beautiful, though” she added, remembering the brief moment when Marian had come to her aid.

Marian grinned. “True — but that would be a little inappropriate now that I know the unicorn isn’t _just_ a unicorn.” She stood as well. “In any case, you can’t just storm the castle to break Emma out of there, no matter how much you want to. We need a plan.”

“Oh, I have one,” Regina replied. “I can teleport myself to Emma and get us both out again, now that I know where she is.”

“You have magic?”

“Your magic is back? Of _course_ it is ...”

“Well, that explains a lot ...”

The three distinct voices in different degrees of volume and surprise reminded Regina why she had planned to keep her magic hidden from them. She should have remembered that but this ache in her chest, urging her to get Emma back had made her forget anything else. Well, too late now., she thought as she winced but nodded. Her eyes went to Granny who was the only one who didn’t seem all that surprised — or at least wasn’t showing it. Regina assumed nothing much surprised the old werewolf these days.

“Magic or not, you can’t just poof in there,” Granny declared into the silence that was settling over them once more with Marian and Tinkerbell still staring at Regina. “There are wards all around the castle, and Blue has always been meticulous about keeping them up.”

“Oh.” Deflated, Regina sat back down. Then her lips curled upwards at one corner as Granny’s words registered fully. “That’s something Emma would say, you know? _Poofing_.”

There was a lost, yearning look in Regina’s eyes, and that more than anything, Granny later mused, was what convinced her that Regina had changed and really wanted to help Emma. She had watched her arguing with the former fairy who seemed to know more about what was going on with Emma than any of them but who also only alluded to things. Not enough to answer Regina’s questions but enough for Granny to understand that she hadn’t been wrong in the tower with Emma: Emma had found someone in the forest, someone she had given her heart to, and it had most definitely been the worst choice possible. 

“Well, since magic seems to be out,” Marian said, “it’s a good thing I have some experience in breaking and entering and getting people out of sticky situations.”

“It seems so,” Regina agreed, albeit a little reluctantly.

Tink smile brightly now that progress was being made. She looked at every woman in turn but when they all remained silent, she finally asked, impatiently, “So what do we do?”

 

o—o—o

 

Emma patted her growling stomach with a small grimace. She knew she shouldn’t have thrown her dinner against the wall but after Snow’s short visit to inform her that her suitor was arriving tomorrow she had felt so frustrated and helpless that her only outlet had been to see the dinner tray fly through the room and crash against the stone walls between two windows. It had been satisfying then even though Snow had already been gone, but now she was hungry and miserable and lonely and yearning for—

There was a noise outside the door, a thump, then another, and then the door opened slowly. In the gloom of only two candles it was hard to see for Emma who was coming by in the middle of the night and for one second hope bloomed in her chest like the first flower after the snow. Could it be … 

“Regina?” she whispered before she could stop herself.

“I’m afraid not, Emma,” Granny replied softly as she stepped into the room and closed the door. “But definitely not for lack of wanting to be here.”

“You talked to her?” Emma rushed to the center of the room, meeting Granny halfway. Her hands gripped Granny’s shoulders, probably harder then she should have judging from the older woman’s wince. “How? When? Is she all right?”

“So the fairy was actually right, wasn’t she?” Granny muttered, studying Emma’s anxious features in the low light. The concern and longing were hard to miss. “You really do love the Evil Queen.”

Emma blushed as she nodded, realizing it would be of no use to deny it. “She’s really not the Evil Queen any more, Granny,” she chided instead. “She’s only been Regina to me, ever since I met her.”

“You have no idea what she did to your mother and the people then?” Granny’s voice was incredulous. “How can you claim to love her if you don’t know all of the things she is capable of?”

“Oh, I know all of that.” Emma saw the doubt on Granny’s face. “She told me all of it and I don’t think she was holding anything back, which she very well could have since I had no idea about any of it. Mother made quite sure of it with her ridiculous idea that Regina should never be mentioned around me.”

Granny nodded. “I never agreed with that decision,” she said. “It’s never a good idea to deny history and now—“

“And now it’s come back to haunt our good queen Snow,” Emma added bitingly. “You know why Regina told me everything? Because I had no idea who she even was, and I think she just wanted to get rid of me as quickly as she could. She wanted to be left alone, so she told me about her Evil Queen days and the horrors she committed back then.”

“That worked well,” Granny snarked with a huff.

“Oh, it did but not in the way she had planned,” Emma said with a grin. “I asked her why she did all those things and then she explained the whole story, and I got to learn more about her, meet the whole person, not just the former Evil Queen, and the more I knew, the more I …”

“Yes, yes, I get it,” Granny huffed. “Well, can’t blame you on the surface of it … she’s always been exceptionally beautiful and she held up well all of those years. She hasn’t aged one day since the imp cursed her.” She saw Emma’s hard stare and added, “At your mother’s insistence and Blue’s machinations in the background, I know, I know.” She looked around the room, then at the old clock on the wall. “It’s almost time.”

“Time?”

“For your grand escape, Princess,” Granny replied with a wolfish grin. “Your love awaits you at the forest’s edge as close as we allowed her to come.”

“Allowed her?” The doubt in Emma’s voice was audible.

“Just out of reach of Blue’s magic wards,” Granny explained. “If not for them, Regina would have poofed in here and gotten you out herself. She was quite insistent that that would be the easiest way.”

Emma smiled. “So it’s Regina now, is it?”

Granny looked at her feet and even in the low light Emma thought she saw pink dusting her weathered cheeks. “Yeah, well … that woman clearly loves you, and I had a poison arrow to make up for, and _you_ to think of, so … oh, let’s stop with this emotional nonsense, all right?”

“She loves me?” Emma’s eyes were wide, shining brightly.

“You didn’t know?” Granny rolled her eyes. “You’re betting your entire existence on something you weren’t sure of? That’s so … _Charming_ of you. I knew you had more of your father than your mother …” She saw that Emma was still staring at her in wonder. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, that woman can’t say your name without getting this tender expression on her face, of course she loves you!”

“But she didn’t say it, did she?”

“Of course not,” Granny replied. “She’s still a queen, and talking about her feelings in front of others is not something you do, especially not if you have her history.” She paused. “But she also didn’t have to, we all knew anyway.”

“You all? Who else was there?”

“Well, this plan really wouldn’t have worked without someone who’s really good with arrows …”

Emma smiled. “Marian.”

“The one and only queen of the outlaws.” Granny began walking around the room lighting more candles. “We need a bit more light, Emma. And please open the window that goes out to the courtyard and the stables.”

Emma moved without question, lighting another large candle and then moving towards the window. She saw Granny raise an eyebrow at the dinner messing up the floor beneath two windows and just shrugged. “Snow was here to tell me my suitor will be arriving tomorrow and that the wedding will happen as soon as possible. I was really afraid that I’d be stuck marrying some man I’d never met tomorrow or the day after at the very latest.”

“You won’t be,” Granny reassured her. “If it came to that, I’m quite sure that would be the second royal wedding the Evil Queen would interrupt.”

“I’d sure hope so.” Emma looked around. “Okay, now what?”

Granny looked out the window, then stepped back with a nod. “Now we get out of the way.”

“Out of the way?” Emma looked puzzled but didn’t move.

“Yes.” Granny grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side. Not a second later, a harpoon-shaped arrow flew through the window, trailing a thick rope behind it. 

Reacting quickly this time, Emma grabbed the arrow from where it landed and hooked the harpoon end to the sturdy and immovable telescope. “Now you can finally be of some use, you stupid piece of metal junk,” she muttered under her breath as she made sure the arrow wasn’t budging even when she pulled hard on the rope.

“Now take off your belt, hook it over the rope, and down you go,” Granny pointed towards the flat roof of the stables where she could see two dark figures waiting. “It’s the middle of the night shift, the guards are least likely to look up from their tankards or cards at this time, and the few that were on patrol … well, Tink and Marian will have taken care of them.”

“How?” 

“If you’re really interested they’ll explain it all in minute detail once you’re out of the castle, Emma,” Granny muttered impatiently, “but now you really should go.”

“What about you?”

“I’m an old woman, Emma. I’ll take the stairs down, make sure the guards are still asleep and stall any others I meet.” Granny patted Emma’s cheek. “Don’t worry, Princess, you’ll see me again.”

“Good. Make sure of that.” She hugged the old werewolf hard, then unfastened the leather belt that held her blue sleeveless jerkin together over her linen shirt. She slung it over the rope, climbed onto the window’s ledge and pushed off, hoping for the best.

The ride down was a rush. _I should have done this before!_ she thought, so exhilarated she had to stop herself from laughing out loud. Too soon and not soon enough, she rushed up towards the roof of the stables, which was when she realized she had no idea how to stop and crashing into the roof seemed like a bad — and very loud — idea. Before she had time to really worry, however, hands were gripping her tightly round the waist, stopping her progress almost too quickly. 

“Let go of the belt,” Tink grunted.

“We’ve got you,” Marian added.

Emma had no choice but to trust them. She let go of one end of the belt, and the three of them tumbled onto the roof together, ending in a heap. It was louder than Emma had hoped but not too loud, although it did wake the horses, she thought as she heard her steed’s distinctive neighing in the dark. “Galanthus.”

“Nope, Marian actually,” the outlaw teased. 

“Yeah, you go save a princess and she mistakes you for her horse,” Tink added and Emma could hear the grin in her voice. “Oh, the gratitude …”

“Thank you,” Emma said softly. “For trying to save me, for risking your life, for—“

“Yeah, yeah,” Tink interrupted. “Come on, time’s wasting.”

They could hear footsteps in the distance, some commotion in the tower. “We need to get out of here,” Marian urged.

“My horse,” Emma said quickly. 

“Funny you should mention that,” Marian said as she slowly made her way to the edge of the roof. “I think he’s been waiting for you.”

“He should be. I told Henry to keep him ready just in case an opportunity for escape arose.”

“Henry?” Tink asked.

“The stable boy,” Emma replied. “Just a kid really but he was the only one on my side, or so it felt.”

“Oops,” Tink said. “So that’s why he stood guard over your horse …”

“Oops?” Emma dropped down from the roof, wincing a little as her ankle twisted when she landed on a stray rock. She hobbled to Galanthus’ box and saw Henry’s small form slumped over just outside. “Oh, Henry. What did they do to you, Kid?”

“It was just a sleep dart,” Tink defended herself, holding up a small blow gun. “We wanted to take the horse because we thought you probably wouldn’t leave without him anyway. We didn’t know the little guy was trying to protect him for _you_.”

Emma smiled fondly as she pulled Galanthus out of the stable. “Look, even his hooves are already covered in padded linen,” she pointed out. “And the saddle within easy reach. Well done, Henry.” 

Tink watched nervously as Emma quickly saddled her horse while Marian was standing guard outside. Just as Emma was fastening the last buckle, the outlaw poked her head around the corner. “We really need to get out of here _now_ ,” she urged. “Something’s going on in the castle.”

Tink rushed out to join her while Emma nodded. “Must be Granny,” she muttered. “I hope.” She led her horse to the door, then looked back at the little boy who was just beginning to stir. “Can’t leave you here, can I?” she whispered, more to herself than anything.

“Galan…thus.” 

The hoarse whisper from Henry’s mouth was what convinced Emma that she really couldn’t leave him to his fate here. He had been loyal and true despite his young age — still was, even unconscious, it seemed — and his life would probably not be any worse in the woods, with Marian and her outlaws maybe. _Or maybe with …_ She stopped that thought before it was fully formed. _Too soon._

She scooped him up and laid him over Galanthus’ back, then quickly but quietly joined Marian and Tinkerbell outside. They didn’t speak as they hugged the shadows on their way to the castle courtyard’s outer wall, the closed gate taunting them. Surprisingly, they made it to the gate without problems and Emma took notice of a few guards lying in corners, fast asleep. 

“Potent stuff,” she murmured to Tink, pointing at her blow gun.

“When you live in the forest for decades you develop means of defending yourself,” Tink replied simply. “I even took down a troll once but it took a whole quiver of darts.”

“Impressive.” And Emma was indeed impressed. The more she learned about Tinkerbell, the more she admired her.

“Yes, it was.” Tink sounded proud. “But we better not run into more guards today because I’m out of darts. Even had to use my old spare one on your Henry.”

“We’re almost out.” 

And they were. The gate was just ahead and there were no soldiers in sight, nothing to stand in their way. Marian rushed ahead to open the gate, pulling one side of the heavy wooden door open. Tink ran over to help. They had the heavy door almost open when a voice behind them stopped their efforts. Breathing heavily, they turned to face whoever was trying to stop them and gasped when they saw the grizzled guard captain with a sword pointed at Emma’s throat.

“Well, if it isn’t Princess Emma trying to run away again,” Graham said evenly, almost as if he didn’t care.

“Graham, please let us go,” Emma pleaded with him. 

“Your mother wouldn’t like that,” he replied, unmoved and indifferent.

“Oh, no,” Tink murmured. “Emma, it’s no use pleading with him. He can’t help himself or us, he’s heartless.”

“No, he’s always been a good man,” Emma replied. “Haven’t you?” she added to Graham. The man who had taught her to ride and use her sword the way his guards did, and all behind her mother’s back.

“He may have been before,” Tink said quietly. “But he literally doesn’t have his heart in his chest anymore. I’ve seen the look before, heard the toneless voice. Blue does that to control people. He’s under her thrall and will do whatever she wants.”

“You can’t leave,” Graham insisted again, and now Emma noticed the emptiness in his eyes for the first time. “Your mother would be very displeased.” 

Emma tried to edge away from the sword pointed at her but there was a wall behind her back and she didn’t get very far. She looked around, trying to find a way out when Graham suddenly crumpled onto his knees and then onto his back without a small groan, his sword clanging loudly on the stones. Behind him stood Henry, unsteady on his legs but proudly holding onto a large rock with both hands. 

“Never liked him much,” he said before keeling over, the sudden action so soon after the sleep dart too much for his young body. 

“Oh, Henry,” Emma breathed, scooping him up again and putting him back onto Galanthus with the utmost care, tenderly stroking his hair once he was settled.

“Good boy,” Marian commented. “Reminds me of my son when he was that age.”

“Seems like you picked the right stable boy for your horse,” Tink added with a smile. “Now let’s get out of here.”

“What about Graham? Is there anything—“

Tink shook her head. “There’s nothing anyone can do as long as Blue has his heart.” She paused. “If we had the heart, then Regina could probably put it back in but I have no idea where Blue keeps them, so …”

“Damn.” Marian murmured.

“Yes, quite.” Tink moved towards the gate. “Come on, there’s someone eagerly awaiting your return.”

Emma led Galanthus through the gate and over the draw bridge across the wide moat towards the road that led to the forest. She followed Tink and Marian who took off in a straight line for the forest, across the wide fields and meadows surrounding the castle. Once they reached the edge of the forest, she looked around in the darkness until her eyes spotted some movement in the distance. 

Quickly, she led Galanthus onward, breaking into a hobbling run, ignoring the pain in her twisted ankle. When Marian and Tink didn’t try to stop her, Emma assumed she ran in the right direction, and when she looked over her shoulder she saw them trailing after her at a slower pace.

The minutes it took to reach the spot where she assumed Regina was waiting had never stretched like this before. To Emma, it felt like hours and she wished she could cry out to Regina but she didn’t want to risk being heard or Regina running into the magic wards around the castle in her hurry to get to Emma. Not that Emma expected her to do that … but it would have been nice.

Finally Emma was close enough to actually _see_ Regina, who was pacing along the tree line, agitated, her eyes looking out but not seeing much until they caught on Emma and Galanthus. 

Emma knew the moment she had been seen and recognized because Regina stopped all movement and even from all those yards away in the dark, Emma could see the most beautiful smile on Regina’s face.


	12. The White Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Emma be able to break the curse?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the end ... for now, I guess. There are quite a few loose ends but I like it that way, and it's always nice to have something to come back to if there's more interest in this universe. *ducks and goes into hiding*
> 
> Thank you to all who have followed along as this fairytale developed and who have encouraged me with their comments. You all made writing this story a pleasure. :)

Tink and Marian watched as Emma dropped Galanthus’ reins and hobbled quickly towards Regina only to stop herself short about three feet away. 

“What are they doing?” Tink asked in a whisper. “Why aren’t they in each other’s arms yet?”

“Looks like they’re a little shy,” Marian said with a small smile. “Why are you so invested in this anyway? I mean ... as far as the story goes, you tried to find happiness for Regina before, and you paid dearly for it.”

Tinkerbell turned away from watching Emma and Regina and faced Marian. “Emma is very convincing when she wants to be,” she replied quietly. “Back then ... all those years ago, I pushed Regina into something she wasn’t ready for,” she continued, her voice more somber than the snarky but funny ex-fairy Marian had come to know and like. “She was extremely unhappy, and I don’t even think I knew just how unhappy, and I wanted to make her feel better by showing her that there was true love still waiting for her.”

“I’m guessing it didn’t go as planned.”

Tink shook her head. “I know the story goes that the fairy dust sent her to her true love but that she ignored him, ruining her life and his in the process and costing me my wings as a result.”

“So that’s not what really happened?”

“The fairy dust did send Regina to a tavern in a small village, that much is true,” Tink continued, her eyes wandering back to Regina who seemed to be healing Emma’s ankle tight now. “What the story doesn’t tell — because nobody but Regina knew — is that her supposed true love already _had_ a true love, and it definitely wasn’t Regina.” Tink sighed. “Apparently, fairy dust is a little more powerful than I ever knew because ... well, Emma’s theory is that it took the future into account as well as the past and present ...”

“Ah.” Marian smiled. “Emma thinks the fairy dust was waiting for her? That’s convenient since she’s head over heels in love with Regina ...”

“It’s also quite true, I think,” Tinkerbell huffed. “Just look at those two idiots! They should be ...I don’t know ...”

“Whatever they should or shouldn’t be doing, they probably shouldn’t be doing it this close to the castle,” Marian pointed out and began walking towards them. “And I think they also should be alone, don’t you agree? You’re welcome to join me and the boys at our camp, Tinkerbell. There’s no need for you to be alone in these woods. Unless you want to be ... but even in that case you should probably wait until daylight to return home.“

For a moment it looked like Tink might protest but then she relented and nodded. “All right, let‘s go prod our friends along a bit.“

 

o—o—o

 

Emma stopped a couple of feet away from Regina to drink in the sight. “Hi,” she finally said, barely above a whisper.

“Hey,” Regina replied, her own eyes running over Emma’s body. Finally she asked, her voice rough, “Why are you limping?”

“It’s nothing.” And in that moment, it really was. She didn’t even feel it standing here looking into Regina’s eyes. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

Regina nodded, unable to find any words with the jumble of emotions running through her. “I wasn’t sure if …”

“If I could escape?”

“If you’d realize that you’d be much better off at home in the castle,” Regina ground out. “You’re the princess, you could do so much good for your people … That must have some appeal for someone as …”— she was close to saying _naive_ — “… as _noble_ as you.”

Emma smiled gently as she stepped closer. “Not as much appeal as,” _— you —_ “… as freedom, as being out here.” _With you._ “And I know I told you I’m not that noble.”

Regina snorted. “Your actions these past few days would suggest otherwise. Besides, weren’t you the one who said she was my white knight? And here I thought knights were supposed to be noble …” She watched as Emma shifted from one foot to the other. “And now will you please let me heal your ankle? You’re wincing every time you put weight on it.”

 

o—o—o

 

It didn’t take much to persuade Emma and Regina to move away from the castle‘s vicinity once they could see the light of torches, and lots of them, moving around and gathering at the gate. 

“Time to go,“ Marian urged, pointing towards the commotion. 

“What about Granny?“ Emma asked.

“Granny always planned to stay behind,“ Tinkerbell replied gently. “She said that was the least suspicious place for her and would enable her to create a distraction if that became necessary.“

“Oh.“ Emma looked bothered by that information. “ I hope she‘s going to be alright.“

“She will be,“ Marian said. “She‘s tougher than all of us combined.“

Suddenly there was a small whimper from where Galanthus was waiting patiently, and a second later the dark shape draped over the horse‘s back moved.

“Who‘s that?“ 

Emma looked from Regina to her horse and back. “That‘s Henry,“ she replied simply. “He is ... was a stable boy at the castle, and he took care of Galanthus while I was locked up, and he made sure the big boy was ready for whenever I might have need of him.“

“Don‘t forget that he also saved us when he hit that guard captain over the head when he had you cornered,“ Marian added with a smile.

“Good boy,“ Regina murmured. “What are we ... Where is he—?“

“Tinkerbell and I are going to take him back to our camp for now,“ Marian replied quickly. “Give you two some time to ... talk.“

“Yes ... talk,“ Tinkerbell said with a snort. 

“Talking sounds good,“ Regina said pointedly. She turned to Emma. “You did say we had much to talk about before we were so rudely interrupted by your mother‘s guards and hunters.“

“Oh, we do,“ Emma confirmed with a smile. “We do.“

 

o—o—o

 

They made good time walking back to Marian‘s camp. Henry, now fully awake, sat atop Galanthus and watched everything and everyone with wide eyes, especially the light that was dancing over their heads to help them see their way courtesy of Regina’s magic.

“You okay, Henry?“ Emma asked over her shoulder as she led her horse along the path, Regina by her side. 

“Mh-hmm.“ Even that one syllable sounded slightly overwhelmed. “Are all these ladies your friends, Your Highness?“ he added after a pause. “Do they all live in the forest? Do you all have magic?“

“Yes, yes, and no,“ Emma replied with a smile. “And I thought I told you to call me Emma.“ 

“Yes, Your High— _Emma_ ,“ Henry muttered. After another long pause, he spoke again, his voice small and uncertain. “What‘s going to happen to me now, Emma? I probably won’t be able to go back to work ... and the stables were the only home I had.“

“You don‘t have any parents?“ Regina asked, addressing him for the first time.

Henry shook his head. “It’s always been just me almost as long as I can remember,” he said matter-of-factly. “We used to live in a small village on the other side of the river but then my dad left one day and my mom died so I … well, I lived in the forest and by the river for a bit. I’m pretty good at hunting and fishing, so I barely ever went hungry but …”

“But I bet it was pretty lonely,” Regina continued softly when the boy stopped. “I know what that’s like.”

“You do?” His eyes lit up.

“I do. I’ve been living alone in this forest for many, many years.” Regina gave him a smile. “And then Princess Emma stumbled into my … home, and here we are.”

Henry giggled at the look of mock outrage on Emma’s face. “But why?” he asked once the giggles had stopped.

“Why did Emma stumble into my home?” Regina asked with a smile. “Well, you’ve met her, so—“

Henry giggled again, shaking his head. “No, why did you live in the forest for so long?”

There was a sudden stillness all around them as the very trees seemed to wonder how Regina would explain her history to this small boy. Marian and Tinkerbell turned their heads, watching the former Evil Queen as she thought with a somber expression on her face. Only Emma kept looking ahead, but her free hand came to rest on Regina’s shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

“Did I say something wrong?” Henry asked hesitantly when the pause stretched uncomfortably long.

“Not at all, Henry,” Regina reassured him immediately. “I’m just thinking about how best to answer your question.”

“You don’t have to,” he blurted. “It’s just that …”

“I know I don’t have to,” Regina said with a smile, “but I think it might be nice for you to hear the story from me before,” and here her gaze went over her travel companions and into the dark forest beyond, “you hear an unnecessarily gory version from somebody else.”

“All right,” Henry said, all ears.

Regina smiled at his eagerness, even though her heart was beating fast and she found herself hoping he wouldn’t hate her after hearing her story. She wasn’t even sure why it mattered that he liked her but there was something in the way Emma looked at him when he was being adorable that told Regina that Henry’s role in the princess’ life was far from over. _Well, then._

She squared her shoulders and began. “Once upon a time there was a little girl called Regina. She had a wonderful, loving father who adored her, and a horrible, heartless mother who treated her very badly. You see, the little girl’s mother only loved one thing, and that was power, and when she realized that her husband was only the lesser son of a foreign king who would never be king himself, and really didn’t want to be, Regina’s mother set about trying to find another way to power.

“Regina grew up knowing nothing about that. All she knew was the freedom she felt when she was out with her father and the danger she was in when they returned home and she hadn’t been careful enough and had stained her dress or ripped a hole in it. Her mother was very creative in her punishments and she always managed to hide her cruelty from Regina’s father ... and Regina didn’t have the heart to tell him either.”

“How come her mother was so mean?” Henry asked, looking stricken but so completely immersed in the story he even seemed to forget that Regina was talking about herself.

“Her mother was a _very_ powerful witch.” Regina swallowed hard at the memory of just how powerful her mother had been. “She had taken out her own heart and couldn’t feel anything but her lust for power. And as she saw it, Regina was the only way she could get it.”

Henry’s eyes widened at that. “What did she do?”

Regina felt several pairs of eyes on her, and the steady presence of Emma next to her, which was the most reassuring thing she’d felt in a long time. Slowly, she continued her tale. “One day Regina‘s mother heard that the king and his young daughter would be passing by their estate on their way somewhere in the realm ...”

Emma watched and listened as Regina told her story in an even tone, and her respect and admiration grew with every word. She wondered and marveled at the strength she must have had and still have to remain sane with everything that had been thrown at her. Even the sanitized version she was telling Henry right now — Emma remembered some parts a little differently from when Regina had told her the same things — was horrible enough. Her hand reached out and grabbed Regina’s, and her bold move was immediately rewarded by fingers squeezing hers so hard it almost hurt, the only outward sign that Regina was a lot less calm than she appeared. She squeezed back and soon they were simply holding hands as they walked.

Regina finished her story just as they arrived at Marian’s camp. “So that’s how I became what I am today,” she said, looking at Henry with a hesitant expression.

Henry beckoned her closer from his perch atop Galanthus and when Regina was standing close enough, Henry simply leaned down and threw his arms around her neck in a tight hug. 

“What—?”

“You looked like you might need a hug,” Henry explained.

Regina reached up to hug him back as much as she could in her position. “Thank you, Henry,” she rasped, slightly overwhelmed by the unexpected reaction. “You’re right, I needed that.”

Suddenly, there were more pairs of arms around them as Tink and Marian and Emma closed in and joined in the hug. Regina took it for a few moments but then tensed, only relaxing when all three women let go immediately and took a step back,

“Looked like fun,” Tinkerbell said with a shrug but her eyes were kind in the dim light of the fire.

“Also, I _definitely_ needed a hug after that story,” Marian added. “Thank you for telling us your side, Regina.”

“It wasn’t meant as an excuse,” Regina explained quickly. “I wasn’t trying to—“

“I know,” Marian interrupted, “but reasons matter, and your story helped me to understand things a little better. Definitely better than the vague _she’s-always-been-evil_ stories Snow and her council used to spin during the war.”

“I don’t like Queen Snow,” Henry whispered defiantly.

Regina and Emma laughed at the obstinate look on his face, and Marian walked over to pat his leg. “Oh, you’ll fit right in with us here in the forest, Henry.”

“So I’ll be staying here?”

Emma and Regina shared a look. “For now at least,” Emma replied after a nod from Marian. “Regina and I have some things to take care of but after that … we’ll talk. Okay?”

Henry nodded, a small smile blossoming on his face. 

Emma patted his head, then turned to Regina. “We should go.”

Regina looked up beyond the canopy of trees, and nodded. “I can send you and Galanthus ahead, then follow, if that is acceptable to you.”

“You mean by magic?” Emma and Henry asked simultaneously. At Regina’s nod, Emma added an enthusiastic, “Absolutely.”

Emma helped Henry off the big horse, then got in the saddle. Regina smiled at the way everyone took a completely unnecessary step back as she waved her hand and sent Emma and Galanthus away in a puff of lavender-colored smoke. 

Then she turned to Tink and Marian. “Thank you for your help. I will not forget it.”

“Your magic used to look a lot darker,” Tinkerbell mentioned as casually as she could with how excited she was inside at this discovery.

Regina blinked at the apparent non sequitur but before she could say anything, Marian added, completely oblivious to the implication, “Like I said, it must be the influence of the unicorn form.”

Regina and Tinkerbell shared a long look, until Regina relented and gave Tink a small smile. “I think it might be Emma, actually.”

Then her hand moved and she also disappeared. The last thing she heard was Tink’s small whoop of glee.

 

o—o—o

 

Emma was just storing Galanthus’ saddle when Regina materialized in front of the cottage. Emma gave her horse a pat on the side and handed him an apple before walking over to join her.

Regina’s eyes went up into the sky that was getting lighter by the minute. “We won’t have much time to talk, I’m afraid,” she said softly, regret coloring her tone. “I wish we had more time …” She sighed. “But at least we’ll have tonight once I’m back in my human body again … if you’d be willing to wait that long?”

Emma smiled. “I’d be willing to wait for as long as I have to,” she replied, just as softly, “but maybe we won’t have to wait even _that_ long.” 

Regina swallowed. _Emma couldn’t mean …? Could she?_ No matter how she felt about Emma, she never really expected … “What is it that you’re saying?”

“When I was with Tinkerbell I figured some things out,” Emma started as she closed the remaining distance between them. “I realized that I didn’t want to go out and find your true love to break the curse.”

“Oh.” Regina bit down hard on the feelings threatening to bubble up from her chest. “Well, I guess that’s—“

“Regina,” Emma interrupted gently. “I realized that I didn’t want it to be anyone but me … because … well, because ...” she stammered, trying to find the right words before the sunrise ended what little time they had together in human form. 

Regina reached out and pushed a stray lock of hair behind Emma’s ear. “Because what, Emma?” she asked, trying not to sound as breathless as she felt. “Because you want to be the one to save the Evil Queen?” she mocked instead, still bracing herself for the possible, probable hurt.

Emma shook her head. “Why did I ever think you’d make this easy?” she asked with a groan. 

“Maybe because you think I’m someone I’m not,” Regina pointed out but her eyes and voice were fond. 

“Oh, I think I know pretty well who you are,” Emma stated. “You’re the woman I fell in love with.”

Regina’s eyes widened. “Love? You ...”

Emma nodded, as her hands cupped Regina’s face. “And that’s why I am going to be the one to kiss you and break this curse.”

“You’re very sure of not just yourself ... but also me,” Regina said quietly, even though her heart was _hoping hoping hoping_ again. What if Emma truly did love her? 

“I believe that it’s possible, yes,” Emma replied. “I believe we share a connection.” She paused, her thumbs tracing soft lines on Regina’s face. “Tell me, what did you dream about while I was gone?”

Regina was glad it was still dark enough to hide the blush she couldn’t stop as images from her dreams flashed through her mind. “What makes you think I dreamed at all, Princess?”

Emma chuckled. “That reaction, for one,” she said with a smile. “I dreamed of you all night every night while I was gone, and Tink said that ...”

“Tink says a lot of things she shouldn’t.”

“Are you saying you didn’t dream of me?” Emma couldn’t quite hide the disappointment she felt. “Not even of murdering me maybe?”

For a fraction of a second Regina considered lying, wondered if she should let Emma down gently. She would leave, return to her home, and Regina would spend the rest of eternity trapped in her curse, all because Regina had a hard time believing. But why shouldn’t she let Emma try to break the curse? What did she have to lose? 

_Everything_ , her heart pointed out, sounding suspiciously like Tink. _Because you love her, you fool, and if it doesn’t work ... well, death might actually be preferable._ Maybe Granny had some more of those poison arrows lying around ...

“Regina?” 

Emma’s concerned voice broke her train of dark thoughts. Regina blinked before she was able to focus on Emma’s face that was so close to her, close enough to ...

“Kiss me, Emma,” Regina breathed with all the courage she could muster, heart hammering in her chest. “Just like in my dreams.”

And Emma did, with all the love she felt in her heart, just as the sun was beginning to break through the trees.

 

o—o—o

 

The kiss was the most amazing thing Emma had ever felt and she was sure that this was it, even though she didn’t feel any magic. Then again, she wasn’t sure what true love magic would even feel like.

But when they parted and the first rays of the sun hit Regina’s body, when Regina winced in discomfort and took a few steps back ...

Emma knew.

She felt her heart breaking in her chest, unable to do anything but watch helplessly as Regina morphed into her unicorn form. She had been so, _so_ sure, had believed with every fiber of her heart and soul, and now she didn’t know what else to do.

She looked at Regina, _her_ Regina, even in this form. The dark eyes that met hers were sad and Emma wondered what Regina was thinking now. Gods, she wished she could talk to her. Well, she could, she mused sardonically, but the replies were most definitely going to be non-verbal. 

Emma sighed and reached out to gently stroke the side of Regina’s head, reveling in the way the large animal leaned her head against her hand and let out a tiny sound of dismay. 

“I know,” Emma said hoarsely, not caring about the tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry. I truly believed it would work.” She pressed her forehead against Regina’s nose. “I love you so much,” she whispered softly, her words ruffling the soft hairs and making Regina twitch. “I can’t imagine anyone loving you more … but I guess I’m not … enough after all.” 

Emma cried, her heart heavier and heavier in her chest. “But I won’t give up,” she promised fervently. “I _will_ find a way to free you from this curse, even if,” and here her voice broke, “even if I have to stand by and watch you love someone else.” 

Regina snorted derisively, no doubt rolling her expressive eyes, although Emma didn't raise her head to check. “I promise,” Emma repeated. “Because that’s what love is, I think. Making sure the person you love is happy, no matter what. And I do love you,” she said again as she finally raised her head and looked into Regina’s eyes, dark and sad and haunted. “Both sides of you. _All_ of you, all that you are. But maybe there’s someone out there who …”

Regina shook her large head, the gleaming horn catching the early morning sunlight.

“I _can’t_ let it go,” Emma insisted, imagining Regina’s half of the conversation in her head and replying to her protest.

Regina shook her massive head again as she took a step back. 

Emma cupped the unicorn's head in her hands again, stopping the movement and meeting Regina’s eyes straight on. “I would happily love you like you are for the rest of our lives.” She smiled sadly. “But I don’t think you’re all that happy being under this curse and … I’d do anything to make sure you’re happy,” she swore as she closed her eyes and pressed a kiss against Regina’s forehead, just under her horn. Just because she could and might never be able to again. 

Emma missed the shockwave of bright light that emanated from the two of them, but Regina didn’t, and in the second between the kiss and the change she could feel down to the marrow of her bones, the unicorn’s dark eyes widened, then closed, then slowly reopened as Regina’s beautiful, tear-filled and very human gaze.

Emma gasped when she felt the head she was holding onto shrink and change form, the short hair under her fingers changing to skin that her thumbs started to caress almost immediately. She opened her eyes reluctantly, scared she was imagining the whole thing, and stared right at Regina’s stunned, smiling face.

“H-How? W-What?” Emma stammered. “Did we just?”

Regina chuckled, and Emma swallowed at the happiness that shot through her at the sound, at being able to hear it during the day, when the sun could light up Regina’s relaxed and happy face. “It looks like it, Princess.”

“Amazing,” Emma breathed.

“Indeed.” Regina studied Emma’s face for a long moment. “I didn’t think ...” she murmured finally but stopped with a sigh.

“Didn’t think?”

“I thought that maybe you were fascinated by your mother’s old enemy,” Regina elaborated, “and that maybe you found me attractive … but I never truly imagined that …”

“So … before … it didn’t work because you didn’t believe in me? In my love?”

Regina shrugged, a blush climbing up her throat. “Does it really matter now?”

Emma shook her head with a broad smile. “I love you.” A confirmation, a declaration. “I have loved you from that first evening we spent together. I just didn’t realize it then, and once I did I didn’t dare hope that you could feel the same way.”

“Believe me,” Regina chuckled again. “That took me by surprise as well. I thought the days of me feeling love were over. I thought my true love was dead … and with me under a curse …” Her eyes twinkled. “Who would fall in love with a woman who is also a massive hairy animal?”

“Apparently me,” Emma replied softly. “And who knew you’d be able to look beyond my parentage and—“

“And your noble and idiotic insistence that you’d find my true love or die trying?” Regina finished Emma’s sentence a lot more dryly than Emma would have. “Congratulations, Princess, your quest was a success.”

Emma’s grin was smug. “And what is my prize, Your Majesty?”

“What is it that you want, my Knight?”

“You,” Emma replied simply and utterly sincerely. “That’s all I’ve wanted since I met you.” 

They kissed again, now free to enjoy it to the fullest, and they both moaned in unison at the love flowing freely between them now. The kiss deepened quickly, stoking a fire in them that neither had felt before. When they finally parted, it was because Emma’s stomach was grumbling and reminding her loudly that it was about time it was fed.

Regina released her with a carefree laugh that made Emma fall in love with her all over again. “Come on, Princess,” she said, pulling Emma towards the cabin by the hand. “Let’s get you fed.” 

Just outside the door she stopped to steal another searing, breathtaking kiss. “I do love you too, you know,” she murmured against Emma’s lips before pulling away. “Now, about those dreams you had …”

Emma laughed, hunger immediately forgotten. “I don’t want to talk about them,” she said, her lips brushing Regina’s with every syllable. They kissed again and again and again, not even remotely able or willing to stop. 

Minutes or hours later, Emma continued, her voice huskier than Regina had ever heard it. “I’d much rather show you …”

Regina leaned back in Emma’s embrace to study her face for a moment. All she saw was love and desire in the darkened eyes watching her so tenderly. “What about this?” she finally asked, patting Emma’s stomach with her free hand before becoming distracted by the muscles she could feel even through the jerkin and the linen shirt, and her hand began a soft caress.

“Later,” Emma groaned as Regina’s hand slipped under her shirt and a fingernail scratched against her skin. “Not hungry.”

“Not for food at least, it seems …” Regina chuckled, pressing a kiss against Emma’s throat. “Come on then, my Knight,” she coaxed, pulling Emma towards the bed. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

**The End (for this part? for the series?)**


End file.
